NetKar PRO Manual

netKar PRO Manual December 2008

netKar PRO v1.0.3 11 Jaap Wagenvoort Stefano Casillo

netKar PRO Manual



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1. Introduction to netKar PRO 33 2. Quickstart 44 3. Driver profile 77 4. Cockpit explanation 1166 5. Controller configuration 1188 6. Keys 2211 7. Starting the car 2244 8. Your first test: Track Day 2288 9. Car setup reference 4422 10. Your first race: Multiplayer online racing 4499 11. Setting up your own server 8822 12. AIM Telemetry: Performance analysis 9999 13. Watch the action again: Replays 110088 14. Other topics 111177 15. Troubleshooting 112288

Index 113377

Links 114444



11.. IInnttrroodduuccttiioonn ttoo nneettKKaarr PPRROO netKar PRO is an online driving simulator that is unique in its approach. Compared to other simulators, netKar PRO’s focus on realism is unparalleled. You will need to start the car manually, and you will need to change tires manually when they are worn out. When you change a part on your car (like altering a gearbox ratio), you will need to wait for your mechanics to simulate the time it takes to make that change when racing in netKar PRO’s ‘FullMode’.

If you are racing in ‘FullMode’, and you risk too much and break your car, you will have to wait until your car is repaired before being able to jump back into the action. There are no keys like ‘ESC’ or ‘Shift-R’ to reset your car. Just as in real life racing, when you damage your car, you will have to wait for the repairs to be carried out, thereby losing precious track time compared to your rivals.

In netKar PRO, there are no optional driving aids available. From the first time you drive the car, you will need to do everything manually—just as the real drivers do. There is also just one driving perspective: Cockpit view, because it is the only view available to the real driver. Lock your tires, and you will notice flatspots gradually appearing, making it more difficult to stay focused on the track. Try starting the car without battery power, and you will drain the battery that is installed in the virtual car. netKar PRO is all about precision in the details.

This is what people call the ‘hardcore’ simulation approach of netKar PRO. But this realism comes with a price: It means that the learning curve of netKar PRO is a steep one for the rookie. Just as any rookie in any motor-sport series in the world, you can be easily overwhelmed by all the intricacies involved in actually driving a purpose-built racing car: From finding the correct sequence to start the car on the fully-active cockpit to learning the technical terms of setup options, there is much to come to grips with here. But if you stick with it, you will be rewarded by one of the most immersive and valuable simulator experiences ever created. The commitment to realism in netKar PRO will not only make you feel what it’s really like to race an open-wheel car—you will also learn what it means to be a professional race driver. That, after all, is the goal of netKar PRO.

In the real-world, a rookie driver will have a passionate mechanic or highly-paid engineer show them the ropes: This manual will serve much the same function in guiding the newbie through the process of acclimating to the simulator. But advanced users will also find in these pages a complete documentation of the simulator which will remain, we hope, a useful reference to you as you become more experienced and your questions more elaborate.



2. QQuuiicckkssttaarrtt So you want to quickly enjoy netKar PRO? For a first experience with netKar PRO, download the demo (http://www.netkar-pro.com/download.htm). The demo can be converted in a full version by buying a license to activate the simulation. Make sure you have installed the 1.1 version of the .NET Framework from Microsoft. netKar PRO works best on Windows XP, and Windows Vista.

Create profile After downloading, install the simulator on your hard disk. Start netKar PRO.exe and click on ‘driver’ to create a driver profile on the ‘info’ tab. Insert your first and last name (you can add a fake name, but in the netKar PRO community most drivers use their real name) and press ‘Create new’. You can also add your team and car number. This is enough to set up your demo account. You can use this account later on to buy and activate a full version of netKar PRO. Running the demo means that you can drive the Formula1600 car on all tracks, both online and offline. The demo account is not time limited. In order to unlock all other features and content (other cars and other tracks), purchase a netKar PRO license on the netKar PRO site (http://www.netkar-pro.com/shop.htm).

Configure controller After your account is created, go to ‘Settings’ in the netKar PRO menu. Configure your controller(s) by clicking on ‘Controllers’. Take your time to get this right. The key is to select a control that you want to assign (it will turn red). For regular buttons, this is easy: Just select a control in the interface and then press the button on your wheel to assign the button to the control. The pedals are a bit more difficult. First, press the control (the button ‘throttle’). Press the throttle pedal and you will see the red button turn grey. This means that your axis is set (netKar PRO now knows on what axis your throttle pedal is). Press and let go of the pedal again and you will see the throttle bar changing. Now you need to indicate netKar PRO what the open and closed throttle settings are. Release the pedal and press ‘set min’ to confirm the ‘closed throttle’ position. Then fully push the throttle to enable ‘full open throttle’ and press ‘set max’ to confirm. Repeat for the other controls like braking and clutch.

Finally, there are the ‘paddle’ and ‘stick’ controls in the controller interface. These controls define how you operate the gear changes on the cars in netKar PRO. Some cars have a gear stick and some cars only have paddles behind the steering wheel. Using these controls, you can define how you want to operate the gear stick and paddle controls in netKar PRO. If you wheel has a gear stick, you can use it by assigning the gear stick to the ‘stick up’ and ‘stick down’ controls. Bear in mind though: all cars currently in netKar PRO have gear sticks, so if you assign the gear stick on your wheel to the ‘stick up’ and ‘stick down’ controls, you will have to change gears using the gear stick on your wheel. If you prefer to use paddles behind your wheel to changes gears, then assign these paddles to the ‘stick up’ and ‘stick down’ controls.

netKar PRO supports multiple controllers. You can select the controller that you want to configure on the top right side.



Drive After you have configured your controller, it is time to prepare for your first drive. Click ‘track day’ to start a practice session. First select the car that you want to test. In the demo, this is restricted to the Formula1600 car. Now select the track you want to drive the car on. Click ‘start session’ and then ‘race’ to load the simulator. You will find yourself strapped in your seat in the pits, sitting in the Formula1600 cockpit. It will be silent. You can mount new tyres (‘tires’ tab) if needed. Walk through the various setup options by clicking the white buttons. On the ‘misc’ tab you can configure the FOV (Field of View) and seat position. Now, enter ‘Doom Mode’ to leave the car (F11 key) and walk around the car using the arrow keys and your mouse. This enables you to inspect your car and tyres, but also allows you to check the number of your pitbox. This is essential to know when you drive back to the pits after a testing session.

In order to be able to drive, you will need to start the car. Take your time to acclimate to your cockpit. The green box on the wheel is the AIM display device. On the left are several knobs. The top one needs to be switched on to enable the Main switch. This is the car’s ignition. With the ignition on, you can now fire up the engine. The engine starter switch is located right below the ignition switch. Click and hold it to start the engine. When the engine is successfully started and it is idling, you will see that the green light below the series of switches is on.

In order to leave the pitbox, enable the clutch. Insert first gear while still holding the clutch in. Then press the throttle pedal gently to raise the revs. Slowly let the clutch slip (or in case of a button, let it go and press it again), and you will see and hear that the car wants to move. Now comes the important part of balancing the revs and the clutch to let the car leave the pitlane without stalling the engine or over-revving which will result in the car sliding. Take your time to learn this procedure—doing this well saves you a lot of worries when you are in the middle of a FullMode race later on.

As soon as you leave the pitbox properly, you will find yourself in the pitlane. Make sure to keep the car below 80 km/h, which is the pitlane speed limit in netKar PRO. As soon as you reach the end of the pitlane (pitlane end sign), you can apply more throttle and start changing gears. Remember that the Formula 1600 has a difficult gearbox, which requires careful handling by the driver. This means that you either have to use the clutch in order to shift up, or you need to release the throttle and the let revs drop a lot before being able to change gears.

As soon as you approach the first corner you may have hit 3rd or 4th gear. Brake early. Watch out not to harm the balance of the car by braking too hard. Ease off the throttle and allow the engine to help you brake. Then apply some gentle braking pressure and slow the car down. Now shift down a gear to reduce speed to take the corner. Decide what gear you will take through the corner and negotiate the car through it. As soon you have completed the corner, apply throttle and continue.

After one installation lap, drive back into the pitlane. Make sure you’re under the 80 km/h limit when you enter the pitlane, and drive back to your pitbox (marked by the pit position marker). Stop in the pitlane as soon as you see the setup options again. Press ‘ESC’ and ‘go to box’



to put your car in the pitbox. Fine tune the setup of your car, refuel and mount a fresh set of tyres … and you are ready for another attempt.



3. DDrriivveerr pprrooffiillee In order to do anything in netKar PRO you need to create your driver profile first. This is your profile to which all statistics are going to be added. Your personal best laps will also be connected to your profile. Creating a profile is also required for demo users. If after trying the demo you are convinced and bought a license for the simulator, you can activate the full simulation by entering the license details on the ‘activation’ tab in your driver profile to unlock all other features. Demo users can drive the Formula1600 car on all tracks, both offline in Track Day session and online in Multiplayer races. Licensed users have access to all features, including driving with the other race car models, both offline and online. Creating a profile In order to create you need to take a couple of steps. First of all, press the ‘driver’ button in the netKar PRO menu. This will launch the driver menu showing your details on the ‘info’ tab. This tab looks as following:

If you are a new user, your info tab will be completely empty. Assuming you do not have a license yet, all you need to do is submit your personal information on this ‘info’ tab. Your info tab will then look as following before you start:



The first step is to press on the ‘create new’ button to create your new profile. A new window appears in which you insert your first and last name. Normally, this is where you insert your real name, but of course you are free in this decision. Important is that this is the name with which you will race on track and under which other people will see you racing.

Note: The first name and last name both need to be at least 3 characters long. Also avoid special characters like β, œ, ç, é and ï. Try sticking to normal alphabetical characters to avoid problems during creating of the profile and activation of your account.

After you inserted the first and last name, press the ‘create’ button. You will now return to the ‘info’ tab where you can complete the other fields to create your profile. You can now select your country (default is, of course, Italy) from the drop-down box containing all the country names.



If you are driving in a race team, you can insert the name of the team in the ‘team’ textbox. You can also add your car number. The GUID is automatically generated and is a unique generated number which is used to be able to identify drivers online in their virtual racing career. Note: Only races with more than 3 competing drivers will be taken into consideration for the statistics. Note: The ‘contacts ratio’ is shown in online races for all connected drivers. The contacts ratio is the number of car-to-car contacts by this driver, divided by the total number of races in which the driver has competed. It gives you an indication of the behavior of the driver in online races in netKar PRO. You can now click ‘ok’ to create your profile after which you will be able to start driving. You can also change to the ‘equipment’ tab. This looks as follows:



On this screen you can select the equipment that you will use during driving. You can select your helmet (a preview is shown when you select a different helmet), you can select your racing gloves and racing suit. When you are satisfied, press ‘ok’ to close the driver menu in order to prepare for some track time. Activating your profile When the demo convinced you to buy a license to unlock the full simulation, you can acquire a license on the netKar PRO website (http://www.netkar-pro.com/shop.htm).



Simply press the ‘PayPal—Buy Now’ button to start the purchasing process. One license for netKar PRO v1 costs €36. Note: Avoid special characters in your PayPal naming process. This could cause trouble in activating the simulation after the transaction is complete. When the payment is complete, you will first receive a confirmation from PayPal, stating your payment to ‘Kunos Simulazioni’. Important: you cannot use this e-mail to activate the sim. You need to wait for an e-mail from netKar PRO. Shortly after receiving the confirmation from PayPal (when the automatic transaction has been completed), you will receive an e-mail from [email protected]. This e-mail looks like the one below:



Note: Make a backup of the information in this e-mail (the PAYCODE, FIRST NAME & LAST NAME). You need this information if you want to reactivate your profile at a later date, or if you need more ‘activations’ over and above the 3 you get with your order (you will get additional activations for free). How to get more activations is described further on in this chapter. As soon as you have received the e-mail above, you are ready to activate your driver profile in the netKar PRO simulation. Go to the Driver Menu and select the ‘activation’ tab. It will look like this:

Note: The ‘status’ indicator still shows your status as being ‘UNLICENCED’. This will change soon. Now, insert the PAYCODE, FIRST NAME and LAST NAME from the e-mail in their respective text boxes. Avoid trailing spaces and make sure the names are exactly the same as you entered in the PayPal process. If not, contact netKar PRO Support ([email protected]) for assistance. After the data has been inserted, the ‘activate’ tab looks somewhat like the following:



When the three fields are correctly filled, complete the activation process by pressing the ‘activate’ button. Note: You need to press the ‘activate’ button once to start the activation process. Important: Do not press the ‘ok’ button instead of the ‘activate’ button. After pressing the ‘activation’ button, the activation process will start. Your information will be verified. If all goes well, you should see the status indicator turn green and show the text ‘LICENCED’. Congratulations on your purchase!

When your profile is activated, you have unlocked all features of netKar PRO and will be able to drive all cars, both offline in Track Day sessions and online in Multiplayer sessions. Note: If the activation failed (status does not become green after following the steps above), contact netKar PRO Support ([email protected]) and ask for assistance. Important: Please provide all information when you contact Support (including the PAYCODE, FIRST NAME & LAST NAME). Requesting additional activations By default, you will receive 3 activations when you buy netKar PRO. This means that you can reactivate the simulation three times (for instance, if you want to run it on 3 machines). If you need more activations, you can go to the netKar PRO website and request further activations. See the image below:



Requesting new activations is an automated process. Press the link ‘here’ under ‘Request New Activations’. The screen below will appear:

Insert your account details in the three fields. This is the same information that you use to activate the simulation: You received this information by e-mail after you completed the transaction to buy a license for the simulation. Therefore it is important to backup this license information. After you inserted the PAYCODE, FIRST NAME & LAST NAME, press ‘SEND’ and three new activations will be provided to you free of charge. You will receive a notification of this by e-mail. Note: The notification will be sent to the e-mail address that you used to buy the simulation. If you cannot access this e-mail account anymore, contact netKar PRO support ([email protected]) and ask the staff to change your e-mail address. Include the



PAYCODE, FIRST NAME & LAST NAME in your e-mail to netKar PRO support. As soon as your e-mail address is changed, you will receive a notification about this. If you forgot your account details, you can send your details to your e-mail address again. This can be done from the netKar PRO website as well:

Press the link ‘Here’ under ‘Retrieve Your Data’. The screen below will appear:

Insert the e-mail address that you used to buy a license for the simulation and press ‘SEND’. The account details will be sent to the e-mail address.



4. CCoocckkppiitt eexxppllaannaattiioonn In order to do anything in netKar PRO you need to create your driver profile first. Read Chapter 3 to learn how to do this. Since you will be spending most of your time racing or testing your car, becoming familiar with your ‘office’ is a crucial component of your preparation work. This chapter shows and explains all three different, interactive cockpits in netKar PRO. As you will see, the cockpits are quite different. For example: all cockpits require a different procedure to start the engine. FF1600 and FF1800 cockpit

The Formula1600 and Formula1800 have identical cockpits. There are three controllable buttons: The Ignition switch, the Engine Start switch, and the Rain Light switch.

Formula2000 cockpit



The Formula2000 cockpit is very different compared to the Formula1600 and 1800 cockpit. There are four controllable buttons: The Master switch ‘on’ button, the Master switch ‘off’ button, and the Ignition switch and the Engine Start switch FTarget cockpit

The FTarget cockpit is again very different compared to the Formula1600 and 1800 and the Formula2000 cockpits. Inside the FTarget cockpit are three controllable buttons: The Ignition Switch, the Main switch and the Engine Start button. Important: The Ignition switch is not visible on the FTarget when the steering wheel visibility is enabled (in the ‘Video’ options). Steer full to the right to locate the Ignition switch. You can still set the switch, even though the steering wheel is in front of it, but you just have to know where the switch is before being able to start the car. AIM device controls The AIM device is mounted on the steering wheel and monitors a huge amount of data about the car when on-track. The device saves the data to its own memory and writes them to a file after the session is completed. This telemetry allows detailed performance analysis which you can use to find out where you can gain time. More information about this topic can be found in Chapter 12. It is possible to access some important information on the AIM device during driving. Below the LCD screen there are four buttons available (from left to right). The button which is located second from right is active. Press this button multiple times to cycle through pages which displays the last laptime, the best laptime, and the split-time.



5. CCoonnttrroolllleerr ccoonnffiigguurraattiioonn This chapter contains information on how to setup your controllers in order to drive in netKar PRO. You can access the controller configuration menu by clicking on ‘Settings’ and then ‘Controllers’. The Controller window looks as follows:

Basic considerations netKar PRO tries to match the car you are driving to the controls layout you set in this window. This is slightly different from the usual approach, in that it allows netKar PRO to arrange the correct controls behaviour given the car you are driving at the moment. For example, netKar PRO lets you assign different buttons for your ‘Paddle Shifter’ and for your ‘Stick Shifter’. If you have a wheel with both shift controls (such as Logitech DFP), you should set them up in this window: once they are set up, you'll find that you will be able to use the gear lever on cars in which you change gears using a lever (every car in netKar PRO v1.0), and your paddles for cars using the paddle shifter—and all this, without forcing you to reassign controls when changing cars. Setting axis A universally flexible system that will allow you to set up your controller axis in 4 basic steps is offered by netKar PRO and is configurable as follows:

1. Select the control you want to assign (the throttle, for example). Press the ‘throttle’ button. The button ‘throttle’ will turn red. See the image below:



2. Start pressing and releasing your throttle pedal until the red ‘throttle’ button turns back to gray:

Note that the blue progress bar below ‘throttle’ will change when you press the throttle pedal.

Your throttle axis is now set. All that is left is for you to set the minimum and maximum positions. Think about these as the position of your ‘Closed Throttle’ position and your ‘Open Throttle’ position.

3. Release your throttle pedal and hit the ‘set min’ button on the throttle line. Your

minimum value is now set.



Note: The ‘set min’ button is pressed to indicate the minimum position of the throttle pedal. You can see that the ‘Pedal Position’ bar is completely empty. Now netKar PRO knows what the position of the throttle pedal is at its minimum position.

4. Now press your throttle pedal to its max extension and hit the ‘set max’ button. Your maximum value is now set, and you should see the blue bar under the throttle button moving exactly like your pedal, reaching all the way left when the pedal is up, and all the way right when the pedal is down.

Note: The throttle is pushed to the max, which is confirmed by the completely filled progress bar. Now, press ‘set max’ to confirm the fully pressed position of the throttle pedal.

Repeat the procedure for the brake pedal and the clutch (if any) pedal. Note that you can configure the clutch as a button as well. If you want to disable a control, hit the button with the control name to make it red, then press ‘ESCAPE’. The button will turn grey and the control will be unassigned. Setting buttons Setting buttons is a simple process. Press the control you want to set in order to make it red, hit and hold the button on your wheel/joystick until the red button turns grey. In order to un-assign a button, simple use the ESCAPE button.

Multiple controllers netKar PRO supports multiple controllers. All connected and available controllers are listed in the dropdown list in the ‘Controller’ menu:

If you want to assign an axis or button to a particular controller, first select it from the ‘available controls’ dropdown list, and then assign the desired control.



6. KKeeyyss This chapter explains the keys that are available in netKar PRO. The keys allow various actions in the user interface.

View controls

F1 —Time Monitor Pressing the F1 key in ‘Track Day’ mode turns the time monitor on and off. (The time monitor shows all the laptimes driven in ‘Track Day’ mode. It also shows the best laptime of the driver.) In multiplayer mode, the F1 key turns the time monitor on and off, and cycles through the driver statistic monitor. This statistic monitor shows the list of connected drivers and information and statistics of all the drivers. During races, the F1 key also shows the current standings and time gaps between drivers. Note: In FullMode, the standings screen can only be viewed when you are in the pitbox. This is done for optimal realism.

F2 —Onboard Camera The onboard camera is only available in Replay Mode, and in multiplayer races on cars of other drivers in the session (not your own car). Use F2 key to cycle through various onboard cameras. You need to be in TV Mode first (F3 key) before being able to use the F2 key.

F3 —TV Camera TV camera (press again to zoom).

+ —TV Focus Used to focus the TV or onboard camera to the next remote car (works in multiplayer

session as well as in Replay Mode).

F4 —TV Overlay The TV overlay shows driver, nationality, laptime, split time, et cetera. In Replay Mode, it also shows the standings and time gaps in-race.

F8 —Pedal Overlay The throttle, brake and clutch position overlay is only available in Racing Mode. This overlay shows the position of the throttle, brake and clutch at all times.

F9 —Topbar Overlay During racing, a topbar is displayed. The topbar displays the current session (practice, qualifying or race) and the current session standings.



By pressing the F9 key you can toggle the topbar on and off. Note: the topbar is only displayed in non FullMode sessions and does not work in replay mode.

F11—‘Doom’ Mode This accesses the ’Doom’ mode. It allows the user to walk outside the car from a first-person perspective and allows for such things as track walks and so forth. Use the arrow keys and the mouse to move. Use the C key to crouch in Doom Mode (press the C key again to stand up). A right mouse click in Doom Mode will display the setup menu, allowing you to change parameters to your setup. To exit Doom Mode, you need to walk back to your car: when you are close to your car, press the F11 key again. This will put you back in your car. Note: You can also enable Doom Mode on-track. You need to stop the car in order to do so. Be careful though: If the session ends when you are still out of your car, your car will be put back into the pitbox, and you will have to walk all the way back to your pitbox to race again. This feature is not available in Replay Mode.

F12 —Screenshots Saves a 800*600 screenshot to the hard disk (the .bmp file is saved in the folder named ‘gallery’).

TAB —Pitboard Focus The TAB button focuses the driver's eye on the pitboard. This allows the driver to focus on the details shown by the pitcrew on the pitboard. Not available in Replay Mode.

Misc controls

ENTER —Enable ‘Chat Mode’ The ENTER button starts the ‘Chat Mode’. This allows users to chat with one other inside the simulation. After typing a message, press ENTER key again to send the message to the other drivers.

Note: Sending chat messages may disturb other drivers in a session.

R —Replay Mode This only works in ‘Track Day’ (but does not work in online sessions). Pressing the R key shows the replay of the session so far. Pressing the R key again stops Replay Mode, and returns you to the Track Day.



SHIFT+F —FPS View Pressing the SHIFT + F key simultaneously shows the current FPS (Frames Per Second). An optimum range is above 30FPS.

L—Visor Tear-Off Pressing the L key cleans the helmet visor (it simulates the removal of tear-off).

Replay keys

D —Rewind.

F —Fast-forward.

S —Slow-motion.

W —Freeze the replay. (Note: Keep the button pressed to move forward frame-by-frame. A better approach to move frame-by-frame is to press the W key, and then to move forward frame-by-frame by keeping the F key pressed.)



7. SSttaarrttiinngg tthhee ccaarr Before being able to race the cars in netKar PRO, you need to start them first. In netKar PRO, this is a procedure on its own, which is why it has its own chapter in this guide. The start procedure is different for each car in netKar PRO. This reflects the way their real-life counterparts have to be started.

Starting the Formula1600 and Formula 1800:

The procedure to start the Formula1600 & 1800 is as follows (Note: More information in chapter 4: Cockpit explanation):

1. Set the Ignition switch (top switch). The AIM device will now warm up and become active.

2. Set and keep holding the Engine Start switch. This is the 2nd switch from the top. 3. Hold the switch until the engine is running. As soon as the engine starts, you will see

the ‘Engine On’ indicator light below the switches turn green.

You can also enable the rain light. This is the lowest switch on the board (below the Ignition and Engine start switches, and above the Engine On indicator).



Starting the Formula2000:

The procedure to start the Formula2000 is as follows: (Note: More information in chapter 4: Cockpit explanation):

1. Enable the Master circuit (click on the green button—the red button turns it off). The AIM device will now warm up and become active.

2. Set the Ignition switch. 3. Click and keep holding the green Engine Start button until the engine is running.



Starting the FTarget:

The procedure to start the FTarget is as follows: (Note: More information in chapter 4: Cockpit explanation):

1. Set the Master switch on. The AIM device will now warm up and become active. 2. Set the Ignition switch on (Note: This one is hidden behind the steering wheel when

the steering wheel is visible!). 3. Click and keep holding the Engine Start button until the engine is running. The green

‘Engine On’ indicator light on the right of the cockpit will turn green once the engine is running.



Automatic systems on

Alternatively, if you prefer to have the car start-up automatically: There is an option in the netKar PRO options (‘Settings’ -> ‘Options’) that allows you to configure this.

Simply enable the ‘automatic ignition and systems on’ checkbox in the options, and the car will be ready for action when you are in the pitbox. All systems will be on already, and all you need to do is start the engine (refer to the start procedure for each car to find out how to start the engine).

Alternatively, you can also start the engine by pressing and holding the BACKSPACE key. This allows you to assign the starting of the engine (in case you stalled it) to a button on your steering wheel or button box.



8. YYoouurr ffiirrsstt tteesstt——TTrraacckk DDaayy After all the preparation and configuration, it is time for your first outing. This chapter explains everything you need to know in order to have a successful first test.

First of all: what does testing mean? In sim-racing, tesing is an offline drive on a track. This is done using the Track Day Mode in netKar PRO. This allows you to select a car and track on which to drive. You always drive alone on Track Day sessions, hence why it is offline racing.

Track Day actually comes down to making a reservation for a track so you can test your car on that track with no traffic and no competitors aside from yourself and the stopwatch.

Preparation

The preparation for a test day is key to success. Make sure you have configured the controller correctly (see chapter 5). Then select ‘Track Day’ in the netKar PRO menu. This will give you the dialog as shown below.

You can select the format for the Track Day session on this window. Select the car you want to drive (under ‘model’).

You can choose from the following cars (with a full license: Only the 1600 is available if you are using the demo):

Formula1600 Formula1800



Formula2000 FTarget

After you have made your car selection, you need to select the track, and the track configuration (where applicable). Most tracks have more than one configuration. A configuration is a specific layout of the track. For example, Newbury comes in two configurations: the ‘old’ 2002 layout, and the new 2006 layout. Both configurations use the same Newbury track, but use differing combinations of turns.

You can select the following tracks and configurations:

Aviano o Full GP o Short Track o Intermediate 1 o Intermediate 2

Crema o Default (this track only has one configuration)

Prato o Full GP o Short Track

Newbury o 2002 layout o 2006 layout

Note: Add-on tracks are being released by the community. Go to the various online forums to find out more information about the community add-on tracks (see the Links section at the end of this manual).

After you have selected the car and track you want to test on, press the ‘start session’ button. The window will appear:



On this screen you can change the basic settings of your car and configure the telemetry settings. The telemetry (see chapter 12 for information for a discussion on telemetry analysis) can of great help in finding out where you are losing time on the track. On the right hand part of this screen, the completed laptimes are shown from your Track Day session.

Press ‘car setup’ to change the basic setup.



In this window you are able to change two crucial parameters:

1. Select tyres for your test 2. Configure the telemetry settings

Tyre selection

The tyre selection is only important for the Formula1600 and Formula1800 cars. These cars can be driven on two types of tyres:

1. Normal slick race tyres (Avon FF_Front & Avon FF_Rear) 2. Road groove tyres (Avon FF_RG_Front & AV FormulaRG_Rear)

The slick tyres will give you the best performance because of the grip they provide. The road groove tyres can be selected, but will be slower.

Press the ‘mount’ button to mount the tyres. This will confirm your tyre selection.

Telemetry configuration

On the AIM tab you can configure your personal AIM telemetry device that is mounted to all cars. This telemetry device tracks a lot of information at every moment during a lap, allowing you to analyse your performance after the Track Day.

Pressing the ‘AIM’ tab opens the window below:

This window allows you to personalise the AIM device to your own preferences. You can disable or enable the AIM telemetry device logging by unchecking the ’enable data logger’ checkbox. If you want to log the telemetry to performance analysis after the session, make sure to enable the ’enable data logger’ checkbox. If you are not interested in logging telemetry, you can disable the checkbox. This will also provide your computer more performance.



Another important aspect of AIM is that you can define the RPM at which the lights on your AIM device in the car should be lit. But AIM’s greatest strength is to be found in the device’s telemetry channels. You can select up to 5 data telemetry channels. The selected channels will be logged throughout your Track Day session, so take special care to select the channels that you want to use for analysis. The most common are these:

Gas pedal This will show you when you enabled the gas pedal, and the exact position of your gas pedal at any moment during a lap. Especially interesting in comparing two laps to find out what the effect is of hitting the throttle earlier or later. In some corners, for example the sharp right-hander in the first sector at Prato, it is extremely important to be on the throttle as soon as possible. You can use the telemetry analysis to confirm this, and optimise your traction out from the corners.

Brake pedal Just like with the gas pedal, you can use the position of your brake pedal to find out your optimal braking performance. If you brake too late, you may give in on traction on the exit of a corner. If you brake too early, you will be too slow through the corner. You can use the brake pedal in combination with the speed to analyse your braking effectiveness.

Clutch pedal Under normal conditions, you will not use the clutch pedal a lot. But, especially on the Formula1600 and Formula1800 cars, the clutch does play a role, and some people use it during the start procedure as well.

Gear The gearbox setting is important to analyse your gear shifting performance. You can use this channel to analyse the effect of early shifting on your top speed, for example. Or find out what the effects of quick downshifts (engine braking) are on your laptimes.

The speed of the car at any time on the track is always logged. Read chapter 12 for additional information on how to perform basic telemetry analysis with ‘Race Analysis 2’ by AIM Sportline (http://www.aim-sportline.com/pages/download/section_software.php).

It is important not to forget to save the configured channels and settings. This is done by clicking the ‘setup car’ button.

The Track Day test

After selecting the car and track and configuring the tyres and telemetry settings, you are ready for the test. Press the ‘race’ button on the Track Day window and netKar PRO will start loading the 3D racing environment.

You will find yourself in the pitbox of the loaded track, sitting in the car similar to the image below:



You are now ready for your Track Day session. Rookie Mode If you are new to netKar PRO, you will see the ‘Rookie Mode’ indicators. Rookie Mode means that new users are being supported with help messages, for example like the one below which helps with starting the car:

Note: Rookie Mode is active during the first 100 kilometres of your career.

Track Day In the pitbox and the pitlane, you have the possibility to change the setup of the car. On the ‘file’ tab you can select the skin of the car (the image above shows that the current skin of the car is the ‘T-car #1’ skin).

You can also load a setup from this window or save changes to the setup to a new setup file.

Saving a setup If you want to save your setup, follow the next steps:



1. Make changes to your setup. 2. Go to the pits. 3. Go to the ‘file’ in your setup options menu. 4. Type the preferred filename of your setup in the textbox (see image

below). 5. Press the ‘save’ button. Note: You can’t change the name of your setup in this menu

(you have to do that using the Windows Explorer). 6. Your saved setup will now appear in the setup list below the ‘load’ button (see image

below).

Note: there is no message that the save of your setup is successfully completed. However, it will automatically appear in the list. If you want to overwrite a setup, just type in the name and press ‘save’. netKar PRO will overwrite the setup, again without confirmation message, so take care. It does not work to click an existing setup from the list and then press ‘save’. You need to type the name and then press ‘save’ to overwrite.

Loading a setup If you want to load a previously saved setup, follow the next steps:

1. Go to the pits. 2. Go to the ‘File’ in your setup options menu. You now see a list of saved setups (see

image below).



3. Select the setup that you want to load (in this case the previously saved ‘Aviano Full GP Qual’ setup). The selected setup will turn red (see image below).

4. Press the ‘load’ button and the setup will load to your car.

Note: In FullMode, loading of new setups is limited. You can only load different setups during the waiting time between two sessions, not when a session has started already (for example a qualifying or race session). When you try to load a setup during a session with FullMode enabled, you will get a message stating that you cannot load a setup in that session. You have to wait until the session is over to be able to load a setup again in the waiting time.

The reason why you cannot load setups during FullMode session is because setup changes will take the pitcrew actual time during a FullMode session (changing a gear ratio will take 5 minutes, for example).

Leaving the pits When your car is properly setup (read chapter 9 to get more information on the car setup options), you are ready to leave the pitlane to enter the track.

Now it is time to start your car. In netKar PRO this is highly realistic, meaning that you have to follow specific steps to start the car. Refer to chapter 7 to find out how to start the different cars in netKar PRO.

Before starting the engine, have a look at the steering wheel (see image below).

All cars are fitted with track maps on the steering wheel. Take some time to study the track configuration before driving out of the pitbox. You can use the map also to find out which way you have to turn out of the pitbox, left or right.

There is no visual help to guide you getting out of the pits or getting back in it. Therefore it is also important to check in what pitbox you are located. All pitboxes in netKar PRO are numbered so you can use this number to find your pitbox again at the end of your first test



stint. Below is the pitlane at Newbury containing the unique pitbox numbers that you can use to remember which pitbox is yours.

However, a small pit location board will show you your pitlane location after a test session.

When have successfully started the engine and it is running, you can leave the pits. Be careful not to stall the engine. Especially if you are running with auto clutch off, you need to work the clutch to leave the pitbox.

Put the car in neutral (N), engage the clutch, and use the throttle to generate revs. Around 2,000 RPM will do. Now select 1st gear. Release the clutch slowly (works best with a clutch pedal), and notice that the car will want to move forward. Avoid revving too much, because you will spin the tyres and the car. Pulling too low revs, however, will stall the engine.

Once you’re moving, make sure not to cross the pitlane speed limit. This limit is 80 km/h on all netKar PRO tracks, so be careful in the pitlane, and respect the speed limit. The pitlane entry and exit are well-defined with markers.

On the track

While lapping on track, take care of the following things:

Avoid flatspots on your tyres netKar PRO simulates the effects of flatspots on your tyres. Be careful not to lock your wheels too often, because locked wheels will cause flatspots on your tyres. The flatspots will cause vibrations in your steering wheel, making driving more difficult.



Small lockups will only cause minor vibrations, but if you completely miss your braking point, be really careful not to provoke a full lockup, because you will immediately feel the flatspot.

If you are suffering from a flatspot, the only solution is to go back to the pits and change your tyres to fresh ones.

Flatspotting your tyres is not difficult. Simply lock your wheels and the vibration will start

You will need to change your braking approach. Learn to feel what the car is doing under braking, and what the most effective way of braking is without ruining the tyres.

In the image above, you can see that that the inside wheel is locked-up under braking, and you can even see the black tyre marks in the left mirror. This is the best way to destroy a fine set of tyres, and, in a race, your day!

Take care with the engine revs The engines of the cars in netKar PRO are fitted with a rev limiter. The rev limiter makes sure that you will not ‘overrev’ the engine as you accelerate through the gears. However, the rev limiter only works on upshifts. If you downshift to lower gears too quickly, the engine will hit very high revs. Excessive revs will damage the engine and doing this too much will risk blowing the engine. There is no indication of your ‘engine health’ in netKar PRO. So, be careful during downshifts in a race. There is no way to repair your engine after you blew it to pieces.

Take care with dirt on tyres Sometimes you just take too much risk, or make a mistake at the limit and you will find yourself going off-track. In netKar PRO dirt on the tyres is simulated. If you go off-track and get on the grass or even a gravel trap, be careful when rejoining the track



because the dirt that has been collected on your wheels will result in reduced grip levels.

Dust and dirt will stick to the warm rubber after driving on the grass or gravel You will see the dirt on your tyres building up as soon as hit the grass. Dirt and gravel will get stuck to the hot tyre. As soon as you are back on the tarmac, you will see that the tyre cleans itself up, but this will take at least a few hundred meters in which you will notice reduced grip due to the dirty rubber.

Mounting new tyres and refuelling In netKar PRO you are in control of every aspect of your race car. This means that you even control things like refuelling and mounting new tyres. Refuelling is not done automatically, and your car will keep the same tyres until you decide to put a new set of tyres on the car.

Cleaning your visor A drive through the gravel trap, or a car in front of you throwing up some dust or dirt, will cause the visor of your helmet to become dirty. You can clean your visor yourself by pressing the L key. For your convenience, it is a good idea to assign a button on your steering wheel to clean the visor.



The difference between a dirty and a clean visor is evident

Checking the split times on the AIM device The AIM device that is installed in all the cockpit is a crucial tool. It provides the following information.

The AIM device also has a working button that you can press with your mouse during driving. See the image below:



You can click this button (1) to select different views on the AIM device. Press the button to select one of the three different views:

Last laptime Best laptime Split time

The times will be shown under in the main information area (2) on your AIM device display.

Checking the test times During your Track Day session you can check all laptimes you completed using the standings screen. You can view and close this screen by pressing the F1 key. This screen shows you all the times you drove in the current session, the fastest time of the day, and your fastest laptime on this track with this car.

When your session is complete, return to your pitbox by either driving back to your pitlane position or by pressing ESC -> ‘go to box’. You can finish your session by pressing ESC -> ‘Exit’ after which you will return to the netKar PRO application menu in Windows.

After your session Once you have completed the session, you will see a summary of your laptimes in the ‘lap chart’ window. See the lapchart below.



After a session, you can also decide to save a replay of your session. Do this by selecting the menu option ‘Replay -> Save last replay’. See the image below:

Then, define the name of the replay and press the ‘save’ button to store it. If you do not save a replay, it will automatically be overwritten by your next racing session.



Note: A replay will only be saved for the replay length duration that you configured in the netKar PRO options. (See image below) Setting the replay length to ‘0 minutes’ will disable the creation of a replay, and will boost performance, especially in online races with lots of cars on the track.

This is also the moment to secure the telemetry data collected by the virtual AIM device installed in the cars. If you decide to enable the data logger, there will be a telemetry file in your ‘My Documents -> aim’ folder. This file is called ‘telemetry_dump.nkt’.

Rename this file to secure it. This will protect the file from being overwritten by your next racing session.

Note: Your next racing will automatically overwrite the ‘telemetry_dump.nkt’ file so if you do not rename it, it will get lost. You can also decide to immediately import the .nkt file into the AIM ‘Sportline Race Analysis 2’ software package for telemetry analysis. Read more about the basic telemetry analysis in chapter 12.



9. CCaarr sseettuupp rreeffeerreennccee In order to get faster, you will find yourself returning to the Track Day. Part of this process is exploring the limits of the cars, and the tracks. But a crucial aspect of your testing time will be focused on changing the setup of the car to own preferences and optimising it for the track’s characteristics. This chapter gives you a short summary of the general car setup options—and the way they effect the car’s handling and response. Car setups are changed from inside the simulation, in the pitbox, or in the pitlane. Note: You can edit all setup parameters in the pitbox, while you can only change limited setup settings in the pitlane. Basic operations like changing tyres, changing tyre pressures or adding fuel can be done in the pitlane, but more advanced changes like gearbox ratio changes or suspension fine-tuning can only be done when the car is positioned in its pitbox. When the car is located in the pitbox, you will see the setup options as shown in the image below:

There are 7 main setup areas:

File Tyres Suspension part 1 Suspension part 2 General setup part 1 General setup part 2 Engineer



The various options will be discussed per setup area. A general tip is that you can change the setup parameter values by pressing the + and – buttons. If you want to make substantial changes, select and hold the + or – button and the value will be changed more quickly. File tab The file setup tab is used for file operations like loading and saving of setups. If you need a different setup, this is the place to select and load it (see for information on how to load a setup in chapter 8). You can select a different car skin by using the arrow buttons on the file tab. The skin will be loaded in real-time (note the changing colours in the cockpit). Finally, the file tab shows the actual ride height of the car. The ride height itself cannot be influenced on this tab. The ride height can be altered by changing the suspension on the ‘susp 1’ and ‘susp 2’ tabs. Tyres tab The second setup tab is the tyres tab (see image below).

Not surprisingly, this setup tab is fully dedicated to the black ‘magic’ on the car, our only physical connection to the road. The goal of the ‘tires’ tab is twofold: You can mount a new set of tyres (front and rear tyres separately), and you can look at the tyre temperatures in order to find out if the temperatures are correct or that they need tweaking. Note: IMO means Inside-Middle-Outside sectors of the individual tyre.



Susp 1 tab An important part of a racing car is its suspension. You can configure the suspension of the cars in netKar PRO using two tabs. The first tab, ‘susp 1’, looks like the image below:

The options on the top half of the tab concern the front suspension, while the options on the bottom half influence the rear suspension. On the Formula1600 and Formula1800, the rear suspension settings are simple. There is no difference between left rear and right rear. On the Formula2000 and FTarget, however, both sides have their own suspension system and settings allowing for asymmetrical setup settings. Susp 2 tab The focus of the first suspension tab is on the general suspension settings like anti-roll bars (ARB), springs, dampers, preload and rod lengths. The other suspension related setup options are organised on the ‘susp 2’ tab, which is shown below for the Formula1600.



This second suspension tab allows the fine-tuning of the wheel-specific settings with regard to camber, toe (toe-in and toe-out on the Formula2000 and FTarget) and tyre pressures. Setup 1 tab General setup settings are organised in two setup tabs. The first one is aimed at generic car-related setup options which you will frequently use. The second setup tab concerns generic settings which you configure once and will probably not change frequently thereafter. The first setup tab is shown on the next page:



On this screen you can refuel a specific amount of litres to the car by pressing the ‘fill’ button. You can also change settings like the steer ratio (reduce the ratio to allow for sharper turns). Another important setting is the brake balance and the brake multiplier. Brake multiplier The brake multiplier is an important setting. Increasing the brake multiplier does not give you more maximum braking pressure. Instead it just reduces the travel to get maximum braking power. When the value is below 100% you never reach maximum braking pressure. When it is set higher than 100% you will reach maximum power before you reach the maximum pedal travel. However, a setting of 120% will not give you 120% braking power. Projected aero CP The projected aero CP provides an idea of the longitudinal position of the aerodynamical centre of pressure relative to the centre of gravity of the car. A negative number means the aerodynamical pressure is more on the front of the centre of gravity of the car. A positive number means the aerodynamical pressure is more on the rear of the centre of gravity of the car. In simple terms: Negative value means oversteer in high speed corners, positive value means understeer in high speed corners. On the Formula1600 you cannot change the gear ratios of the gearbox. On all other cars this is possible and can be configured on this setup tab. The winged cars (Formula2000 and FTarget) also include front and rear wing configuration settings on this tab. ‘Setup 1’ will also give you an indication of the projected maximum speed with the current setup configuration.



Setup 2 tab The second setup tab allows you to define personal settings like the Field Of View (FOV) that you use for driving.

The lower the FOV value is, the closer you will be on the steering wheel. This is great for multiple screen setups, because it allows you to have the cockpit on your central monitor while having the mirrors on two side monitors. A higher value will seat you further away from the steering, also reducing the sensation of speed. You can also fine-tune your seat position on this tab. If you are a tall person, increase the height above zero. If you’re shorter, stick to negative values. You can also enable auto-clutch on this tab. Note: Auto-clutch is introduced to help you during race starts, because not all drivers have a clutch pedal installed. Auto-clutch is not an anti-stall feature, so make sure you engage the clutch if you spin on the track risking an engine stall, even with auto-clutch enabled. You can fine-tune the force feedback settings on this tab as well. If you want to have damping on your force feedback, increase the ff damping value. If you want more friction, you can raise the ff friction percentage. If ff friction is set to 0%, you will get no friction when you steer your wheel from side to side. If the setting is higher, it will take more force to steer from side to side. Engineer tab The engineer tab is used for instructions to the pitcrew, but is not applicable to any of the cars currently available in netKar PRO. You can safely ignore it.



10. YYoouurr ffiirrsstt rraaccee——MMuullttiippllaayyeerr oonnlliinnee rraacciinngg After everything has been configured and tested on track in Track Day, the time has come to pit your talents against other netKar PRO drivers around the world.

When is the right time to enter your first race? It differs, of course, with your experience but if netKar PRO has become more and more a natural habitat for you, and you are used to the cars, have a good understanding of the tracks and every single bump and kerb on them, and are comfortable when it comes down to fine-tuning the basics of the car setup of your machine, then the time has come for the challenge of online racing.

This chapter explains everything you need to know as you prepare for your first online race.

First of all: what does racing mean in this context? Racing means online driving. (It is possible to drive alone online, but the whole reason of online racing is to compete wheel-to-wheel against other human drivers.)

Racing is done using the ‘Multiplayer’ window in netKar PRO. This area allows you to browse and join online races, after which you are brought to the pitbox on the track where you can join the racing and start showing your potential.

Racing is always done online and therefore requires an active internet connection).

Preparation Key to driving online is to be prepared. This of course means that you have learned the track you are going to race on and that you developed a solid car setup for the car you are going to drive. But it means more than this: Think of the following things before joining a multiplayer race in netKar PRO, because being prepared means being closer to victory.

Disable connection influencing programs There are a lot of applications that are continuously using bandwidth of your internet connection. It is of crucial importance that the speed and latency of your internet connection be optimised for online racing. You are driving very close to other cars on-track, and a lag moment because of a problem in your line can—and usually is—very costly. Therefore disable programs that influence the speed and latency of your internet connection.

These are the types of programmes that can influence your connectivity-speed:

o Instant Messaging (IM) tools Almost everyone is using some sort of instant messaging software. This software is great, because it allows direct interaction between people. However, this software sends software packets over the internet to connected clients. This can interfere with netKar PRO and the stability of the internet connection. For optimal internet connection, disable all instant messaging tools before racing online with netKar PRO.

o Filesharing tools The worst enemy of online racing are filesharing tools. Filesharing tools allow



you to exchange files with other people online (direct file download or downloading using torrents). This peer-to-peer technology is highly advanced, but uses a lot of your internet connection. Having a filesharing tool running on the background when racing online will most certainly cause latency and lag problems. Therefore we advise you to disable all filesharing tools prior to racing online.

o Windows Update netKar PRO works on Windows operating systems (Windows 2000 and newer). Windows is equipped with an automatic update feature. This feature allows your computer to be updated with a specified frequency.

We recommend you to disable Windows Update when you are going to race online. This avoids a huge load on your internet connection when Windows decides to download a new software update package for your operating system, which will generally happen precisely as you start the race!

o Avoid running netKar PRO on wireless connections Even though netKar PRO can be used for online racing using a wireless (Wi-Fi) connection, we advise you to use a regular connection using an Ethernet cable. This ensures optimal package delivery and therefore more stability when racing online.

Optimise performance netKar PRO allows for 15 drivers to race simultaneously online. This means that your computer will have to draw and keep track of 14 other cars and, at the same time, calculate the physics of your own car. Racing online therefore always costs more performance than running on your own in Track Day. Therefore it is important to optimize your computer in terms of performance before joining an online race, especially if you are not running on latest-spec PC equipment.

You can optimise the performance of your PC with the following tips:

o Reduce video settings The video settings highly influence the performance in the simulation. The image below shows the Video settings (‘Settings’ -> Video’):



Resolution Obviously, the higher the resolution, the more pixels your graphics card will have to render to your screen and the more performance this will require from especially your graphics card. Reducing the resolution will improve performance, but will not always be the most effective solution.

Anti-alias The anti-alias feature concerns the quality of the image in the simulation. Anti-aliasing is the technique of minimizing the distortion artifacts known as aliasing when representing a high-resolution signal at a lower resolution. In short, it makes anything you draw (bitmap) look smooth and not jagged (like steps) at the edges. However, anti-aliasing comes at a price, because it causes quite some performance on your graphics card.

Reducing or disabling anti-alias multisample (OFF) will improve the performance when driving online, while giving a bit more jagged edges on things like your cockpit.

Besides setting anti-alias in your netKar PRO options, anti-alias is also often configured in your graphics card driver. These drivers have a setting to override application settings. If this is enabled, make sure to select the appropriate setting from your graphics card driver.

Shadows netKar PRO has a two-step approach to creating car shadows: Simple and projected. The difference between the two is that projected shadows show the actual car shadow in relation to the position of the car to the sun while the



projected shadows will generate a true dynamic shadow using the sun and car position. The ‘simple’ shadow will just render a static shadow under the car. Projected shadows require more performance compared to simple ones. You can set the car shadows for your own car and multiplayer car separately.

Local/remote car shadows Use these boxes to decide whether to receive the shadows from trees and other structures on the track on your car (local) and other drivers’ cars (remote).

Texture quality Reducing the texture quality impacts the visual quality when driving on the track. This setting will set the maximum resolution used for the texture in the simulator.

Slipping the slider to the left will lower the quality, therefore improving performance. Slipping the slider more on the right will increase image quality, but it will put more stress on graphics performance.

Note: This slider has a lot of impact on the performance in netKar PRO.

LOD policy LODs (Level Of Details) are simplified 3D models that are used when the object is too far from the camera to be clearly noticeable. In netKar PRO you can control the distance at which the simplified LODs for the remote cars are triggered.

Moving the slider to the left will make the distance necessary to switch to a simpler LOD smaller. This will mean that you will notice the change earlier, but your graphics performance will be better. Moving the slider to the right will do just the opposite, keeping the high quality LOD for longer distances and thus impacting and reducing graphics performance.

o Reduce or disable the replay time You can define the amount of time that you want to save on-track action. You can define the amount of replay minutes in the netKar PRO options (‘Settings’ -> ‘Options’):



So, if you just did one hour of racing online and you have set the replay memory to 45 minutes, netKar PRO will create a replay file containing the last 45 minutes of the on-track action.

Of course it is great to be able to look back at the action and replay the wheel–to-wheel action, but this comes at a price. Every single car that needs to be saved into the replay costs performance on your machine (mostly memory allocation).

If you want to increase performance, reduce the replay memory or disable the recording of replays by setting the value to 0 minutes.

Apart from the performance optimising tips above, it is always a good idea to reboot your machine before you start an important online race.

Race structure After you are fully prepared for the online racing, it is time to join a race. The race structure in netKar PRO is straightforward. Basically, netKar PRO allows a full simulation of a normal racing weekend in the simulated car classes.

In netKar PRO there are three types of sessions possible in online racing:

1. Practice session The practice session is a timed session in which the recorded laptimes do not count for grid positions for the race. There can be multiple practice sessions in a race weekend. The session length is always expressed in minutes and the session finishes when the timer is at 0:00 seconds.

Prior to every session in netKar PRO, there is a ‘waiting session’ with a countdown: Once this countdown reaches zero, you can join the session.

The session time and the remaining session time are always displayed in the timing overlay (available using the F1 key).



2. Qualifying session The qualifying session determines the grid positions for the start of the race. The qualifying session is a timed session where all laptimes are recorded.

Only one qualifying session can determine the starting grid positions for a following race session. The session length is always expressed in minutes, and the session finishes when the timer is at 0:00 seconds. Note: This means that you cannot complete your lap when the counter has reached 0:00 seconds. You will immediately be put back in your pitbox when the time is up.

The qualifying session starts when the waiting time before the session is completed.

The session time and the remaining session time are always displayed in the timing overlay (available using the F1 key).

3. Race session The race session is, of course, what all the previous sessions have been geared toward. The grid for the race session is determined by the laptimes driven in the qualifying session. The race length is always expressed by a specific number of laps.

The race session starts when the waiting time before the session is completed. Note: At this moment, all drivers must put their car on the track. This is done using the ‘go to grid’ button as shown below.

All drivers must manually put their car on the grid by clicking the ‘go to grid’ button during the countdown to the start of the race, otherwise they will have to start from the pitlane.



The race starts when the countdown shows 0.00 seconds left. At that moment, the red lights will be switched on: after a short delay, these will be replaced by the green lights which signals the actual race start of the race.

All race weekends in netKar PRO have the components that are described above. The lengths, repeatability and order of the sessions can vary, because they are defined by the server administrator. Race lengths can be defined from 1 lap to a considerable number depending on the length of the track. The multiplayer lobby will provide you with insight on the server settings and current status.

Full description on how the racing works is described in the section on online racing later in this chapter.

Waiting time concept All sessions have a waiting time component at the start. The waiting time determines the time that needs to be completed before the session will actually start. For example, there is a waiting time between the end of qualifying and the start of the race session.

The waiting time represents the time normally occurring between sessions (in real life, usually 24 hours), and can be used to repair cars and change setups. The waiting time length can be configured by server administrators.

Important: When a server is configured to use FullMode, it is really important to have a certain amount of waiting time between two sessions. There is always a waiting time between qualifying and race (the race countdown happens in the waiting time), but always make sure that there is a bit of waiting time before the qualifying session when the server loops back to qualifying after a race. The reason for this is that damage is automatically fixed during waiting time, and when the waiting time is 0.00 seconds, the damage will not be repaired.

Multiplayer lobby This is the place where online racing starts is the multiplayer lobby. This area is reached by clicking the ‘multiplayer’ button in the netKar PRO menu. The multiplayer lobby works for both demo and licensed users, the difference being that demo users can just see and connect to servers using the Formula1600 car.

The multiplayer lobby screen is displayed on the next page:



You can connect to a race server in two ways.

1. Custom server Insert the IP-number and server port in the boxes behind ‘custom server’ and then click ‘add’. The server will be contacted and, if it is available, will appear in the server list. This is also called the ‘direct IP’ approach, and also allows for ‘contacting’ servers that are not registered to the netKar PRO multiplayer lobby (private servers).

Note: Important when entering a direct IP address is to avoid leading or trailing spaces in the IP address or port number. Spaces will cause the server not to be found.

2. Connect to netKar network Pressing the ‘connect’ button will download a list of active servers for you to choose. This button will make a call to the netKar PRO online system where it will gather a list of all active and registered netKar PRO servers. If you are looking for a pickup race when you have a bit of spare time, connecting to the netKar network will be the optimal way to find a server.



Note: Demo users can only connect to Formula1600 races online.

Multiplayer lobby colour codes The race servers will appear in different colours on the multiplayer lobby:

GREEN—Server is accepting new clients The server is accepting new clients at this moment and is not password protected. This means that this is a ‘public’ server—everyone can connect. You can join the server by selecting it, followed by a click on the ‘join’ button.

YELLOW—Server is accepting clients but is password protected The server is accepting new clients, but it is password protected. In order to be able to join this server, you will need to insert the server password in the password box before pressing the ‘join’ button to connect to the server.

Note: Make sure the password does not contain leading or trailing spaces. This will cause the password to be invalid when trying to connect.

RED—The server is not accepting new clients The server is not accepting new clients, or a race is currently in progress. You cannot access this server at this time. Please wait until the race is over, after which the status will change to green, allowing you to join the server.

Note: Remember that netKar PRO does not allow new player to join races that are already started (after the lights turn green).

Joining an online race Now that you’re familiar with the multiplayer lobby, it is time to join a race. Enter either a custom server, or look up the registered servers on the netKar network. The resulting active servers will be displayed in the multiplayer lobby screen.

Inserting a local IP address will see if there are local servers active. In the screen below, one local server is available.



If you want to join the race, make sure to check whether or not the server requires a password.

Green races are ‘open’ (allow new clients to connect) and do not require a password. Yellow races are ‘open’, but do require a password in order to connect. In the image above, we see a green server so we can connect straight away without having to enter a password.

The procedure to connect to an open server is as following:

1. Click the server in the server list Click on the server that you want to join. The name of the server will be selected (it has turned blue in the example below).

Note: Take a moment to look closely at the details of the server. It is especially important to check for the car and track combination, the amount of race laps, the current session, and the amount of time (or laps, when it is a race) left. Finally, make sure the server is not full (users). If the server is already full, you will not be able to join at this stage.

2. Insert a password (if necessary) After you clicked on the server you want to join, its details will appear in the ‘online



race’ area on the bottom of the multiplayer lobby (see image below). When the server is yellow, you will need to enter the password in the password box:

If a password is not required (the server is green, like the example above), just leave the password box blank.

In normal conditions, just leave the connection speed to MAX. If you are using an ISDN line or 56K6 modem line, select the appropriate connection.

Note: Be careful when you enter a password. Avoid leading or trailing spaces.

3. Join the race Press the ‘join’ button to connect to the server and join the racing. After pressing ‘join‘, netKar PRO will start loading the 3D environment and bring you to the paddock. You will end up sitting in the cockpit of your own race car in the pitbox of the selected track.

Competing in an online race After you press the ‘join’ button in the multiplayer lobby, netKar PRO will start loading the 3D racing environment. After this is done, netKar PRO will attempt to connect you to the server (a process called ‘syncing’). You will see the syncing process message, similar to the one below:

You are connected when the syncing ping reaches 100 percent. Under normal conditions, this doesn’t take more than a second. Check your internet connection when the syncing process takes a long time or when it fails.



After the syncing process is complete, the message will disappear and you will find yourself sitting in the cockpit of the car. When there are already drivers connected, you might hear their cars screaming past the pitlane.

Do not rush out to the track immediately. First, take some time inspect your car. Of crucial importance are, of course, your setup and especially the tyres and your fuel load. See chapter 9 on how to properly configure these aspects of the setup of your car.

FullMode On/Off netKar PRO has two online racing modes: FullMode On, and FullMode Off (Normal Mode). Normal Mode is the basic online racing mode for netKar PRO, and is suited for online pickup racing. FullMode is a highly realistic feature which allows drivers to simulate the time needed in case of setup changes, car repairs, as well as the time needed to bring the car back to the pits when the driver has abandoned it out on the circuit somewhere. FullMode is perfect for online league racing and brings simulated racing to a new level of realism.

Note: The mode is defined on server level: Therefore a server administrator can decide whether or not a server will use FullMode.

FullMode In FullMode, drivers will need to wait when they decide to change their car setup, just like in real life racing. When a driver damages the car and decides to repair the car, the driver will have to wait for the repairs to be carried out in FullMode.

The crucial differences between FullMode On and FullMode Off (Normal Mode) are:

1. Setup change time When in FullMode, setup changes will take time. Simple actions for pit crews, like changing tyres and changing wing configurations will not cost time. However, more complicated actions like changing the suspension (bumps or springs) will take time. Even more complicated actions like changing the gear ratios will take more time, anything up to 15 minutes.

Refuel time Even refuelling will take time. Every litre that is put into (or taken out of) the fuel tank will cost 1 second in FullMode.



In the image above, the steer ratio of the car has been changed after an instruction from the driver. The result is that the setup change will become yellow, indicating that the change is understood by the pitcrew and that they are now working on changing the steer ratio. On the bottom right the READY IN indicator shows how long the work will take.

Note: You will not be able to drive or even move the steering wheel until the ‘READY IN’ indicator reached 0 seconds left. You can, however, jump into ‘Doom’ mode by pressing the F11 key.

The setup change times are different for the specific setup areas. A full list of the change time for each setup component:

FullMode setup change times overview Setup component Change time Springs 5 minutes Bumps 30 seconds Rebounds 30 seconds Packers 1 minute 30 seconds Anti roll bars 5 minutes Caster 1 minute Steer ratio 1 minute Gear ratio 15 minutes Differential coast 15 minutes Differential power 15 minutes Differential preload 15 minutes

Note: You can undo setup changes, simply by changing the value of the setup



component back to the original value. The READY IN countdown will then disappear and you can continue your session.

2. Car repair time If you damage your car in FullMode, you will not be able to instantly repair your car. This is a completely new and unique feature for netKar PRO in the sim-racing world.

If you are in qualifying in a FullMode session and you lose control of your car and crash into the armco, you have a serious problem. If you manage to get back to the pitlane, you can order your mechanics to repair your car. However, you will probably miss the rest of the session as it will take the crew at least 5 minutes to do repairs—remember, though, the more the damage, the longer the time the crew will need to complete the repairs.

This feature has dramatic impact on how drivers behave in online racing. Imagine yourself driving through the streets of Monaco during qualifying for a race.

One mistake can mean that you will have to sit out qualifying and have to start from the back of the grid. Drivers are pushed to treat their car with respect and not take too much risk, just like in real-life. It enhances the realism and immersion—the feeling of actually driving a racecar.

Back in the pits after suffering damage to the suspension. Pressing the ‘fix car’ button will start the ‘READY IN’ pitcrew repair countdown

Note: in netKar PRO there are 3 types of damage: suspension damage, a broken suspension and broken wings (front and rear).



After pressing the ‘fix car’ button, the READY IN countdown timer has started. In this case, the crew will have to work for 5 minutes until the car is repaired and the driver can return to the track

FullMode repair times overview Issue Repair time Tow-back 10 minutes Suspension damage 5 minutes Broken suspension 5 minutes Broken front wing 1 minute Broken rear wing 5 minutes Engine damage 30 minutes

Note: Do not press the ‘fix car’ button twice as this may lead to unexpected behaviour like a reset of the repair time.

3. Car tow-back time If you spin off into a gravel trap, you risk getting stuck in it. In netKar PRO, you can get stuck in a gravel trap and once you are, you will beach yourself. In FullMode, your session will then be over. You can press the ‘ESC key’ and decide to go back to your pits (pitlane) or box (pitbox), but in FullMode this will result in a ‘Tow-back to the pit’ time. This simulates the time needed to recover your car and bring it back to the pitlane.

Pressing the ‘go to pits’ button during a FullMode will result in a 10 minute tow-back penalty

This also means that in FullMode you can not simply press ‘ESC’ and go back to the pits when you have completed a good lap in qualifying. In netKar PRO’s FullMode, you will have to complete your in-lap and drive back to your pitlane position. There



you can decide to refuel and mount a fresh set of tyres to start another attempt, or just watch your opponents try and better your time: In any event, you must drive back to your pitbox. Having to drive your in-lap is another immersion-enhancing element of netKar PRO, provided by netKar PRO’s FullMode.

The READY IN messagebox showing the tow-back time penalty

Note: netKar PRO will not give you a warning indicating that you will receive a tow-back time by pressing ‘Go to box’ or ‘Go to pit’ while still on-track in a FullMode session. Be aware on what you do in FullMode sessions. Like every aspect of netKar PRO, you are in control—and your decisions have consequences, so think clearly!

4. Ability to load setups In FullMode, you can only load setups during the waiting time for a session. As soon as session (practice, qualifying, or race) start in FullMode, you can no longer load a different setup. This is done because car changes take time in FullMode. In non-FullMode sessions, you can always load different setups.

Note: The waiting is the time between sessions. The equivalent of the waiting time in the race session would be the 24 hours between qualifying and the race. This also explains why you can load a different setup in the waiting time of a FullMode race, simply because in real-life this time span is a day.

Message shown when you try to load a setup in a FullMode session

5. Topbar visibility The topbar is a small horizontal bar on the top of your screen showing important time and position information about the connected drivers in an online race. The topbar looks like this:



The topbar shows the standings and gaps in all sessions and scrolls continuously in a horizontal way (from right to left), allowing you to get a grasp of the standings at any time during the sessions.

However, the topbar is not visible in FullMode sessions. This is done again to enhance realism and immersion. In real racing, especially in lower categories, drivers do not always know their position and the positions of everyone else. Therefore, the topbar (which displays this information) is not activated in FullMode, reducing the information for the driver, therefore making it harder to judge the situation.

Note: The topbar visibility (on or off) is a good way to find out if the server that you joined is using FullMode or not. If you see the topbar, you are running in a non-FullMode server which means that you can free ‘ESC’ back to the pits.. If there is no topbar, be warned!

Now that you are connected to the server, check the top of the screen to see if the topbar is displayed. This way you know what to expect and what is allowed.

Connected drivers and time monitor Use the timing screen (F1 key) to see which drivers are connected to the server. The F1 timing screen looks as the one displayed on the next page:



This screen shows interesting information on the connected drivers. This includes the following information:

NUM: Start number of the car. NAME: Name of the connected driver (and the flag under which the driver competes). TEAM: Team for which the driver competes. CAR: Race car type (the same for all drivers). PING: Time it requires for a packet to reach a client and a response to be received. KM: Total amount of kilometres completed by driver. KM OL: Total amount of kilometres completed by driver in online sessions. R: Total amount of online races in which the driver competed. W: Total amount of race victories in online races in which the driver has competed. P: Total amount of podiums in online races in which the driver has competed. DNF%: The fraction of races that the driver did not finish. AR: Contacts ratio of the driver. Time monitor If you press the F1 key once more, you will see the time monitor. The time monitor shows the current standings in the current session. The time monitor is shown below:



The time monitor shows the current fastest times (in practice or qualifying, including difference to leader) or race standings for all connected drivers.

The time monitor can only be viewed in the pitlane or in the pitbox. The time monitor is also displayed when the driver crosses the finish flag and has completed the last lap of the race. In that case, the time monitor shows the final standings of the race.

You can cycle through the screen by pressing the F1 key multiple times.

Viewing other cars in TV mode When there are other drivers on the track, you can watch them by pressing the F3 key to go into TV mode. You will now see your car in the pitlane in TV mode.



After you have switched to TV Mode using the F3 key, you can start watching other cars: Cycle through all other connected drivers by pressing the + key. Hold the + key pressed to cycle quickly through the other drivers.

In TV mode, the selected car will be followed all around the track. All cameras located around the track will automatically pick up and follow the selected car. This looks like the image below:

TV mode allows you to sit back and follow the action around you on the track. A perfect way to relax or analyze other drivers’ driving lines.

Onboard In TV mode, you can also join other drivers onboard and select one of the installed onboard camera views. All cars are equipped with onboard cameras, even though the amount of cameras and their positions vary between the available cars.

When you are in TV mode (F3 key) and selected a specific car (+ key) you can select and cycle through the onboard cameras of that car by clicking the F2 key. This gives you, for example, the T-cam view as shown below:



Using onboard cameras, you can really dive into the action and follow the other drivers. Switching back to normal TV mode is as easy as pressing the F3 key again. You can also switch to the onboard cameras on other cars when you are driving onboard with a car. This is done by simple clicking the + key. This way you can easily cycle through the onboard cameras of all running cars.

TV overlay The TV mode comes with a TV overlay. The TV overlay allows you to see specific information of the other cars in TV mode. With the TV overlay, you can see the driver’s name, nationality, team fastest lap and last lap. Also, the TV overlay shows the current time for the driver. This allows you to see if the driver is on a hotlap, and follow the driver all the way to the finish line where the time stops.

The TV overlay can be activated when you are in TV mode by pressing the F4 key. The TV overlay looks like the image on the next page:



The TV overlay can be enabled and disabled by pressing the F4 key multiple times.

Chatting In multiplayer sessions, you can chat with the other connected drivers. Chat messages are displayed to all connected drivers and are presented on the right top corner of the screen.

You can start Chat Mode by pressing the ENTER key. You can now type your message. Chat messages have a maximum length of 50 characters. Press the ENTER key again to submit your message to the other drivers.

Pressing ENTER in a multiplayer session allows you to enter a message. In this case ‘Test message’

After you typed your message, press ENTER to send the message to the other drivers

Note: Chatting can be distracting for other drivers. Please keep chatting for functional-only use if at all possible. When you have selected the ‘file’ setup tab and type something there, you may be unable to send new chat messages. Press the ‘file’ tab again or select another to be able to chat again.



Topbar The topbar shows (only in sessions with FullMode off) the actual standings and differences in multiplayer sessions.

The topbar has a horizontal scroll feature, which allows you to be informed of the current standings at any time during the session. The topbar also shows the remaining time or laps in the session. Your own name is displayed in yellow characters for easy recognition while driving. The names of the other drivers are shown in white characters.

Note: The topbar can be disabled and enabled by connected drivers by pressing the F9 key.

‘Doom’ mode netKar PRO has a feature which allows you to get out of your car and walk around the track. This feature is called ‘Doom Mode’. Doom mode is activated by pressing the F11 key. You can only use Doom mode when your car is stationary (for instance, in the pits, or when you parked your car on-track).

Doom mode allows you to watch other drivers from different positions and perspectives during online races. You can also walk by using the arrow keys along with the mouse. You can also crouch by using the C key.

The image below shows how you can look at other drivers exiting the pitbox by walking around the pitlane in Doom mode.

You can work on your setup in Doom mode, too. This is done by right-clicking your mouse when in Doom mode. Right-clicking it again makes the setup window disappear again.

Exit Doom mode just like you entered it, by pressing the F11 key. However, you must be close to your car in order to be able to get back into it.

Note: Be careful to use Doom mode on the track near the end of online race sessions. When you are in Doom mode on the track and the session ends, your car will be put back into the



pitbox while you are still walking on the track. This will afford you good exercise because you will be forced to walk back to the pitlane! Even worse, if you’re too slow, you could miss the start of the race.

Qualifying So far you are still in the pitlane. Now it is time to start racing. Start the engine of your car and exit the pitlane (refer to chapters 7 and 8 for information on starting the car and properly exiting the pitbox).

Make sure to respect the pitlane speed limit on your way out of the pitlane. Speed limit infractions are registered and logged by the server in online racing so speeding could cost you dearly after the race.

Connection of other drivers Online racing can be a dynamic situation in which drivers enter and leave the server quite often. Every time a new driver connects, netKar PRO needs to load the 3D model and textures of this car. This process requires resources from your computer. This can lead to hick-ups while driving, a phenomenon called ‘join lag’. Join lag is your worst enemy when you are fully concentrated during a hotlap. Therefore netKar PRO is equipped with a feature that prevents or at least minimizes the effects of join lag.

Anti-join lag

The anti-join lag feature works as follows:

In case you are not driving When you are not driving (for example, stationary in the pits or standing still on the track or in Doom mode), the 3D model and textures of a new driver will be loaded immediately. You will notice this as there will be a ‘Loading new models’ message at the centre of your screen. The reason why the data is loaded immediately is that you are not driving at that moment, so it is best to load it and be done with it.

The ‘Loading new models’ message is shown below:

In case you are driving You will notice the anti-join lag feature when someone connects while you are driving on the track. In this case, you will not see a message ‘Loading new models’ immediately.



In the chat window, you will see a message that someone has connected, but the 3D model and the textures for the car are not loaded. Instead, the new car will be added as a simple transparent box with bright blue borders. This requires minimal loading time (therefore not disrupting your lap). The blue box will look like this:

The box moves just like a normal car does, simply because it is being driven by another human driver.

Note: Even though the box is transparent, you cannot run through it. The box is just as hard as a normal car and therefore a collision will happen if you try to drive through or against the box.

The blue box will appear as long as you are driving. As soon as you bring the car to a stop, the netKar PRO simulation will recognize that it can now start using resources to load the new models and textures. You will then see the ‘Loading new models’ message. A few moments later, the blue boxes will be replaced by real racecars and textures such as this:

So don’t be shocked when you see a transparent box moving on the track when you are racing. The box will be automatically replaced by a real car as soon as your car is stationary. Be careful when driving close to the box to avoid damage.



Practice and qualifying sessions are always time limited, which means you have a specific amount of time in which you to set your time. Qualifying times will determine the starting grid positions for the race.

When you are driving back to your pitbox after a stint out on the track, you can find your pitbox by looking for the pit indicator. This is depicted below:

Just park your car in front of the pit indicator and the setup options will appear which allow you to mount new tyres, and refuel to start another stint.

In FullMode, you can now also decide to put your car back into the pitbox without suffering tow-back time. Simply press the ESC key and select ‘go to box’: Your car will be put back into the pitbox. If you ESC back to the pit or box in a FullMode session while not located in the pitlane (and therefore not seeing the setup options), you will receive a ‘tow-back to the pit’ time.

Note: You can do limited setup changes when your car is located in the pitlane (all activities that require real pitcrew work are not available). Put your car in the pitbox to change all setup parts.

Note: When the session countdown reaches 0:00, the session ends. All cars will be put back in their pitboxes just after the finish of the session (this will not result in a tow-back time in FullMode sessions). This means that you cannot complete your hotlap when the countdown has reached 0:00.

You can see the remaining time left in the time monitor (press F1 key when you are in the pitlane or pitbox) and in the topbar (only in non-FullMode sessions).

Race start procedure When qualifying is over, the server will move to the race session. This procedure is as follows:

1. Qualifying end At the end of qualifying, all cars are put back in their pitboxes, regardless of where they are located.



Race start countdown When all cars are back in their pitboxes at the end of the qualifying session, the final qualifying times are collected (you can view them by clicking the F1 key in the pit box) and the grid defined.

The server now moves into waiting time for the race. The waiting time concept is basically the time between qualifying and race. In FullMode, this means that drivers can load different setups or choose to fix their car.

The waiting time is also the ideal moment to refuel your car to the preferred fuel load and to change your tyres.

After the waiting time is over, the server will start the light procedure. This means that, for race sessions, the waiting time is the same as the race start countdown.

The duration of the waiting time/race countdown is defined by the server administrator. Normally, this countdown will be between 30 seconds and 3 minutes.

During the countdown, the drivers will see the ‘go to grid’ button appearing on the bottom right of their screen. Drivers can now use two approaches to put their car on the grid:

1. Click the ‘go to grid’ button. Clicking this button will put the car on the assigned grid position for the race.

2. Drive to your grid position (this is called ‘drive to grid’). After you prepared your car, simply drive out of the pitlane (respect the pitlane speed limit) and drive a lap until you return to the starting grid. Stop your car on the grid position that you got assigned after qualifying.

If none of the two options above are used, the driver will have to start the race from the pitlane.

Note: If you chose option 2 (drive to grid), your car will be properly assigned to your grid position when the race countdown is 30 seconds or below. So, even in case you are not at the grid in time, or if you did not position your car correctly in its grid position, you will be able to start your race.

Every 20 seconds during the race countdown a message will be displayed indicating how much time is left until the red lights will appear (the red lights signal the race start procedure).

Make sure our car is on the grid (using the ‘go to grid’ button or ‘drive to grid’) promptly. Always make sure your car is sitting on the grid with at least 30 seconds left on the countdown. This gives you enough time to start your engine and prepare for the race.

Note: When preparing your car for the race in the pitbox or pitlane, the setup options will show you the amount of laps attainable with the selected fuel load. Note: This is only available if you drove at least one hotlap on the track. If you did not, this will read



‘NA’. This feature can help you select the appropriate fuel load with which to start the race.

2. Red lights on When the countdown reaches 0 seconds, the red lights will light up. Make sure your engine is running before the lights turn to red! Start revving the engine in order to provide enough RPM to avoid stalling the engine when the lights turn green.

Avoid moving your car when the red lights are on as this will give you a jumpstart. Jumpstarts are registered and logged by the server.

After a few seconds (the exact time will vary with each race), the red lights will go out and the green lights will appear, signaling the start of the race. Shift to 1st gear or disengage the clutch to get going.

Race start The tension mounts. The grid has been formed, but the race is where the it is for real. All the testing, all the practice and setup work … all of it has been done to shine at this moment.

Fifteen cars on the grid preparing for race start on a sunny day in Newbury

Be really careful after the lights go green. There are a lot of other cars and nervous drivers around, all with the same goal: to win the race! With eager drivers, no traction control, cold tyres which lack grip and lots of power available on the rear axles, wheelspin is bound to happen after the start.

Remember, netKar PRO is a highly realistic racing simulator. If a driver accidently shifts into 2nd gear, disengages the clutch too soon, or doesn’t apply enough revs, stalling the engine is a logical result. Therefore be very alert for stalled cars after the start.

The race to the 1st corner starts. All drivers are struggling to find grip. Be careful in your approach to the first corner. All cars are close together. The tyres are still very cold. The cars are also heavy due to racetrim fuel loads. In this scenario, drivers generally need to brake a bit earlier than in qualifying trim.



Therefore care is required in the opening phase of the race, as one mistake can end your race prematurely. Don’t risk all in the first corner of the race, because you seldom win here—but you certainly lose it.

Look left/right A helpful tool in the opening phase of the race is the ability to look to the left and right of your car. You can configure this in the ‘Controller’ options menu (see chapter 5). It can provide you with crucial information in determining your position compared to other drivers, in combination with your cockpit view and, of course, your mirrors.

It is best to assign the look left and look right functions to buttons on your steering wheel. This allows you to quickly glance to the left or right without taking your hands off the steering wheel. Looking the left gives you the following perspective:

See what is happening besides you – in this case a car positioned in your ‘blind spot.

TrackIR In addition to the look-left and -right functions, netKar PRO also supports the TrackIR device. TrackIR allows dynamic visual control and enables you to freely look around your cockpit simply by moving your head. TrackIR allows a full 6 degrees of freedom (D.O.F.). TrackIR also helps you look into corners and look to the sides for better awareness of what is happening around you on the track.

Looking left and right is also very helpful and important when driving wheel-to-wheel at any stage during the race.

During the race As soon as the race has started and everyone is cleanly through the first couple of corners, it is time is settle down and determine your strategy for the rest of the race. However, settling down is a relative concept in sim-racing. Danger is always just a split-second away, so you need to be 100 percent alert at all times if you want to succeed. Never take your eyes from the screen when you are racing.



Split-second decisions are required in sim-racing in case of trouble

Pitboard and Tab key The cars currently available in netKar PRO are not equipped with pit-to-car radio communication systems. Therefore, communication is limited to pitboards. In FullMode sessions, the only way to be informed of your position and progress is the pitboard, which is shown and updated only once a lap.

The pitboard shows you your position, the amount of remaining laps, and the gap to the car directly in front and the car directly behind you. In non-FullMode sessions, you have more information, because the topbar shows the positions and differences continuously in real-time.

Focus on your pitboard by pressing the Tab key as you approach the pitboard



Note: The pitboard always shows the situation as it was on the previous lap. The exception to this is the presentation of the remaining laps—this is always the actual amount of remaining laps.

The pitboard may be hard to read when driving athigh speed along start/finish. You can use the Tab key to focus on the pitboard when you drive towards and past it. Assigning a button on your wheel tab to the Tab key which allows you to focus at the pitboard simply by pressing a button on your wheel is recommended, especially in FullMode.

Known Issue Note: The pitboard may not work correctly when you are one or more laps down to the leader of the race.

Slipstreaming When you are following another car closely, you will notice the slipstreaming effect. A slipstream is a region of reduced pressure produced behind an object as it moves through a fluid medium (usually air). It is caused because the progress of the object forces the particles of the medium (air molecules, for example) apart, and they are unable to reform immediately behind the object.

This effect allows you to attain a greater speed than the car you are following. This affords you the ability to pass the car in front. The moment you move out of the slipstream, however, you will notice that the slipstream effect will disappear. Because of the nature of slipstreaming, it works best on high speed tracks, and on wings which create a large ‘gap’ behind the car, mostly generated by the rear wing.

Dirty air Another realistic feature of netKar PRO is the effect called ‘dirty air’ (in racing jargon). It is a concept which basically sees the following car have a huge reduction of front wing downforce. You will especially notice the effect on cars equipped with front wings and especially when driving really close to another car through high speed corners where front wing downforce is of critical necessity.

The following images show the impact of dirty air:

Driving close behind another car through a medium-speed corner results in a loss of downforce



The loss of downforce means that you need to slow down in order to complete the corner. In this case, the car went wide and partly off the track, causing dirt and grass to collect on the tyres, resulting in overall less grip which may negatively influence the entry to the next corner

Pitstops netKar PRO supports pit stops. In longer races, you may want or be forced to make a pit stop. Just like the rest of netKar PRO, this requires manual work. There is no help for you in terms of automatic pit limiters or automatic pit crew work. You are in control, and you have to control it all.

When you, for example, flat spot a tyre and the vibration is too severe to continue, you can drive into the pits and change the tyres. Simply steer into the pitlane, make sure to stay below the pitlane speed limit inside the pitlane, and stop your car in your pitlane position (see the pitlane position indicator in the image on the right).

When you are in your pitlane position, you will see the car setup options. Now you can change your tyres, refuel your car, or even perform other car setup changes like wing changes or even more advanced changes. Of course, when you are in FullMode, this results in pit crew working time for some of the ‘hard-to-get-to’ car setup parameters.

Remember: You are in charge of the changes and the things that are happening. After your pit stop, be careful not to speed in the pitlane as it can cost you after the race.

Note: It is not possible to define a pit stop strategy for a race before the race.

Race finish When your last lap starts, you will see a white flag being waved at start/finish to indicate the last lap. At the end of the race, you will be waved the chequered flag.



When you cross the finish line, the race standings screen will be automatically displayed, allowing you to see in what position you finished the race. This looks like the screen below:

The race standings screen shows the final race positions and differences

After the race, the server will automatically reset to the first session.

Note: netKar PRO allows all kinds of specific server settings like adding ballast for winners, reversed grids, or pre-defined grids. Read chapter 11 on how to set up a server for more information.

If you want to save the replay of your race, exit the server and go to the netKar PRO menu to save a replay. Read chapter 13 for more information on how replays work in the simulation.

If you want to analyse your race, you can do so using the data that has been logged by the AIM telemetry device during your race. Read chapter 12 for more information on telemetry analysis.

Online racing in netKar PRO



11. SSeettttiinngg uupp aa mmuullttiippllaayyeerr rraaccee sseerrvveerr It is possible to set up your own race server in netKar PRO. Setting up a server allows other people to drive online against each other. This chapter explains how to set up a server and explores the various options and requirements. Requirements Setting up a server requires a few things. These are:

1. Fast internet connection The most important requirement to setting up a server is a decent internet connection. Critical is not the download speed of your connection, but the upstream speed. The server needs to continuously send data packages to all connected drivers, and this exerts stress, especially on the upstream capacity of your internet connection. netKar PRO has a maximum of 15 cars in an online multiplayer race. If you do not have a fast upstream internet connection, you may want to reduce the maximum amount of cars on your server. The table below shows the required amount of kilobyte per second (KB/s) to properly host a specific number of online cars.

Server upstream requirements Number of cars Required KByte/s upstream Required Kbit/s upstream 1 1,25 10 6 37,5 300 8 70 560 10 112,5 900 15 262,5 2100

Suppose you have an internet connection which provides a maximum of 1 Mbit/s (1 mbps) upstream connection. This means a theoretical upstream capability of 1,000 kbps (kilobit per second). In reality, the maximum is lower than the theoretical maximum (due to overhead). A good approach is to take 80 percent of your theoretical maximum, which means that your 1 Mbit/s upstream line allows 800 kbps. Looking at the table above, you can look up how many cars you can properly host with this connection. It will mean that you can host up to 9 cars on your internet line. Note: Nothing stops you from configuring the server to allow 15 drivers. However, the stress of 15 cars (and the required data transfer to all connected drivers) may cause lag and warping cars. netKar PRO has another feature which allows you to support more cars on your line. This feature is called ‘server throttling’, and is configured using the BANDWIDTH parameter. This will be explained in the server configuration part in this chapter.



Correct router and firewall settings In order to allow online racing on your server, the computer on which the server is running needs to be properly configured. The same applies to the router which may be the link between the computer and the internet. Firewall nkServer.exe is the application which is responsible for the server. Therefore, if you are running a firewall, make sure nkServer.exe is on your exception list. For every server, you have to define the port number that is used by your server. Make sure that this port (UDP) is opened on your server. Router If your computer is connected to the internet using a router, you must configure the server to route all incoming traffic to your computer. Otherwise other drivers cannot connect to the server.

Server configuration There are two ways in which configure the server: Using Notepad editing, and using the netKar PRO GUI. Both ways are explained in this chapter.

Server configuration using netKar PRO GUI You can configure the server using the netKar PRO GUI by clicking ‘Tools’ -> Host Race’ in the netKar PRO menu. The dialog box below will appear:

This screen allows you to configure the track, configuration, cars and FullMode (On/Off) on the left of the screen in the ‘tracks and cars’ section.



The name of the server can be provided in the top ‘race’ textbox. It is a best practice to keep the name of the server as informative as possible to the drivers. There is no need to include the car and track in the server name, because those are displayed in separate columns in the multiplayer lobby. A good idea is to include if the server is on FullMode (On/Off). In the right part of the ‘Host Race’ window all other server configuration information can be inserted on a collection of tabs. The tabs are now discussed one by one. Network tab The ‘network’ tab is shown below:

The ‘Host Race’ dialog and the ‘network’ tab options On the network tab you can configure the following:

Port This is the port on which the network traffic will take place. Make sure that this port (UDP) is opened up on your router and firewall before launching the server.

Bandwidth The bandwidth setting is an important one. It provides the server (nkServer.exe) a hint of the maximum available bandwidth (in Kbyte per second). nkServer.exe uses this setting to dynamically throttle the network traffic by using the configured bandwidth as a limit. If the server needs to send more data than configured, it will throttle the server by trying to slow down the rate of the far cars. Example: Suppose your server has a maximum upstream speed of 100 KB/s (KByte). In this case, you will be able to properly host 9 cars on your server.



However, you can use throttling to attempt hosting more clients. If you put the bandwidth setting to 80 (means 80 KByte/s), you are telling the server to start dynamic throttling once it has to send more than 80 KB/s because more than 9 cars are connected to the server. In this case, nkServer.exe will reduce the data rate to cars further away in an attempt to keep the total data traffic within the physical capacity of the internet connection. The bandwidth setting will only work when the bandwidth setting is lower than the physical maximum upstream speed (in KB/s). If, for example, you configure the bandwidth to 300 (KByte/s) and your upstream speed is only 100 KByte/s, the server will never have to process 300 KByte/s and will therefore never perform dynamic throttling. However, in this case, if there are 15 clients connected, the server will need an upstream speed of at least 262.5 KByte/s (see the server upstream requirements earlier in this chapter). There is only 100 KByte/s available, so in this case, you may see lag and warp appearing, because nkServer is not aware of the physical limit of your upstream, and because of the bandwidth value of 300 it will assume that there is no problem and will try to send the data packages on full speed. Therefore it is advised to set the bandwidth to 80 percent of your real upstream speed. Remember that the bandwidth setting is expressed in KByte (not Kbit or kbps) per second. Example: You have an upstream of 1 MByte/s. This translates to ~100KByte/s upstream capacity. The advised value for the bandwidth is then 80, which basically gives nkServer a hint of when it will apply dynamic throttling to avoid lag and warp when more clients connect, and therefore the required data traffic total rises above the limit of the internet connection. The best (in terms of online racing quality) way to avoid lag and warp, though, is to limit the amount of clients on your server (using the server upstream requirements table displayed earlier this chapter).

Clients On the ‘network’ tab you can also configure the amount of clients. This value means the maximum amount of cars that can be connected to the server at the same time. The minimum is 1. The maximum is 15.

Race password You can password-protect your race by adding a password in the ‘race password’ box. If you leave the box empty, this will mean that everyone can join the server.

Admin password When connected to the server, you can control the server by becoming the server admin. As server admin, you can perform actions like restarting the



server or moving to the next session. In order to be able to access these functions, you need to enter the right ‘admin password’ after connecting to the server. Everyone who knows the admin password can become admin after logging on to the server. Note: The ‘admin password’ box must be filled.

Register to netKar PRO network Enable this checkbox if you want your server to appear automatically on the multiplayer lobby (when someone presses the ‘connect’ button to connect to the netKar PRO network). If you want to set up a ‘private’ server, you can disable this checkbox in order to make your server only visible for drivers who know the IP address of the server. If your server is open for pickup racing and you want everyone to connect to it, enable the checkbox.

Sessions tab The ‘sessions’ tab contains the following elements:

The ‘sessions’ tab allows configuring the sessions in your online race You can configure the following items on the sessions tab:

Sessions Define the amount of sessions that you want to include in the server configuration. A typical server configuration consists of at least two sessions: qualifying and race (see image above). You can set or change the name of a session by selecting the session name and then editing the name of the



session in the textbox on the right. Press ‘set’ to change the name of the session.

Basic config (Session type) The ‘Basic config’ list allows you to define the session types. There are three possible basic configurations:

1. Practice 2. Qualifying 3. Race

So, if you added a session called ‘Qualifying’, you must select ‘QUALIFYING’ as the session type under the ‘basic config’ dropdown list. The same needs to be done for the Race session. The Race session should have the basic config ‘RACE’.

Accept new clients For each session, you can define whether or not you allow new clients to connect during the session. This checkbox enables you to define closed sessions in which drivers cannot ESCAPE and reconnect. This can be very useful in FullMode qualifying sessions. In this case, you will need an additional session before the qualifying session or you will need a longer waiting time for the qualifying session. Note: Once a race has been started (green lights), no one can connect to the server anymore, not even when the ‘accept new clients’ checkbox is enabled for the Race session.

Wait time

The wait time represents the time before a session or between two sessions. You should see this time as the time which exists in real life racing between two sessions, for example the 24 hours which normally exist between qualifying (on Saturday) and the race (Sunday). The wait time is not part of the session length. For qualifying, a wait time is normally not needed (can be set to 0). For races, a wait time between 60 and 120 seconds or 1 or 2 minutes) is normal. This gives the connected drivers the chance to load a different setup and make the necessary changes to fuel load and tyres (or even to drive to the grid if the race waiting time is long enough). Note: Drivers can always connect to the server in wait time, even when ‘accept new clients’ is disabled.



Qualify settings

The qualify settings allow you to define the main characteristic of the qualifying session in your race. The most important element here is the time (in minutes). This is the length (duration) of the qualifying session. The ‘min valid’ and ‘max valid’ laps are optional settings. They define the boundaries in terms of amount of laps that drivers can drive at minimum or maximum. For example, if you want to set the maximum amount of laps a driver is allowed to do to 12, set MAX LAPS to 12. Now, if a driver will drives more than 12 laps in qualifying, his time will be invalid, and he will have to start from the back of the grid. The same applies to MIN LAPS, except that it defines the minimum amount of laps required to get a valid lap in qualifying. Note: The default values for MIN LAPS and MAX LAPS is 0 laps. If you decide to use either of the parameters, take notice that the value for MAXLAPS must always be higher than or equal to the value for MIN LAPS. Note: When the qualifying session is over (time is complete), all cars will be put back in their pitboxes immediately. Drivers cannot complete their laps after the time is up. Note: The valid percent is not relevant.

Race settings

The race has just one setting: The race length in laps. You can configure it in the race settings area.

Entrylist/grid tab The ‘entrylist/grid’ tab contains the following elements:

The entrylist/grid tab allows you to predefine the starting grid for the race



You can configure the starting grid for the race on the ‘entry list/grid’ tab:

Predefining the start grid or entry list In some cases it is interesting to predefine the start grid of a race. In this situation, you are probably not going to host a qualifying session. This option is interesting if the server admin organises the qualifying and race sessions on two separate days. The results of qualifying are then used to predefine the starting grid of the race. The procedure is as following:

1. Double-click (important!) on a driver name from the ‘known drivers’ list. The driver will appear in the textbox on the right, thereby giving the driver a position on the starting grid.

2. Repeat step 1 for all drivers for whom you want to assign a place on the starting grid. Other drivers will not be able to join the race.

3. Move drivers to their correct position by selecting them, and then pressing ‘move up’ and ‘move down’.

4. Enable the ‘use for grid’ checkbox to instruct nkServer.exe to base the starting grid for the race on the ordered list of drivers.

Predefining a grid and using it for the grid also means that only the selected drivers will be able to connect to the server. Note: If you predefine the drivers, but do not enable the ‘use for grid’ checkbox, you actually defined a closed entry list for your server. It will mean that your server will only allow drivers that are on the entry list to connect to the server. Note: The ‘known drivers’ list is automatically populated by drivers who have ever made their entry on the server. Note: If a driver has to reactive his profile, they may appear twice in the list. Be careful to select the correct driver profile.

Loop tab The ‘loop’ tab contains the following elements:



The loop tab allows you to define what happens when the server reached the end of the final session

You can configure the server loop procedure on the loop tab:

Define what happens on server loop The only purpose of the ‘loop’ tab is to define what happens when the server has completed all defined sessions. Normally, the server will loop when the race session is completed. It is also possible to let the server restart and add a ballast to the winner of the race or even to invert the grid and optionally add ballast. The loop options are the following:

1. Stop the server. 2. Restart from 1st session. 3. Restart from 1st session, invert grid. 4. Restart from 1st session, add ballast to winner. 5. Restart from 1st session, invert grid, add ballast to winner.

The default setting will be to restart the server from the 1st session (the 1st session is the first session listed in the ‘sessions’ textbox on the sessions tab).

Note: The invert grid option works when the server has a race session only. Note: If you assign ballast to the winner and select a loop option which has ‘add ballast to winner’, ballast will be assigned to connected drivers in the race when the server resets to the first session. For example, if the winner ballast is set to 50 kg and there are 5 drivers connected, the ballast for these drivers will be: 50 kg for winner, 40 kg for 2nd placed driver, 30 kg for 3rd, 20 kg for 4th, 10kg for 5th and 0 kg for 6th. Ballasts are resetted after every server loop (so if you are doing multiple race only sessions, ballast will not be cumulated).



Tyres tab The ‘tyres tab contains the following elements:

The tyres tab allows you to define specific tyres for a session, which all connected drivers are forced to use You can configure the tyre restriction settings on the ‘tires’ tab:

Force tyres on server

The ‘tires’ tab allows the server administrator to force drivers to use specific tyres. This makes only really sense for the Formula1600 and Formula1800 cars. The reason for this is that these cars can be driven with two tyre types:

1. Regular slick tyres 2. Road grooved tyres

Obviously, slick tyres offer supreme grip levels compared to the road grooved tyres. If you want to force drivers to mount and race with the Road Grooved tyres (front and rear), you can use the ‘tires’ tab and select the required front and rear tyres to force drivers to race with these tyres. You can even force drivers to use slicks on the front wheels and road grooved tyres on the rear tyres. Look at the image above. The Road Grooved (RG) tyres have been selected as required front and rear tyres on the ‘tires’ tab. Now, if a driver tries to connect without having these tyres mounted to the car, the message below will be displayed. Obviously, the driver cannot compete in the session unless the correct tyres are mounted (mounting tyres is described in chapter 8).



Trying to join a ‘forced tires’ server with different tires will display an error message and will automatically disconnect the driver from the server

Note: In order to save changes to the server configuration, you must press the ‘start server’ button. After you press this button the server will be launched. If you just press the ‘close’ button after making changes, the ‘Host Race’ window will be closed, but the changes you did will then not be saved to the nkservercfg.ini file. After pressing ‘start server’, all changes will first be saved to the nkservercfg.ini file, which means that when you open the Host Race window again, all changes will be visible. Note: Even though the GUI seems to suggest that you can add more car models, your GUI only allows you to select one car model at a time. However, you can enter multiple cars using the nkservercfg.ini file (see next section).

Server configuration using nkservercfg.ini

Besides using the GUI, you can also set up a server by editing one file: nkservercfg.ini. The GUI is basically a shell around this file, so if you know your way around text files, editing the nkservercfg.ini may be quicker than using the GUI. The nkservercfg.ini file is located in the ‘cfg’ folder (see the image below):



If you open the nkservercfg.ini file in a tool like Windows Notepad, you will see the structure below:

The contents of the nkservercfg.ini file Basically, almost all options in the text file can be found in the graphical user interface as well, so the meaning of most options can be found earlier in this chapter. The possibly confusing options will be explained here:

CAR The car element defines the cars that are allowed to drive on the server. These can be any of the 4 available cars currently in netKar PRO:

1. Formula1600; 2. Formula1800; 3. Formula2000; 4. FTarget.

Multiple car models in one server Using the nkservercfg.ini file, you can also enable multiple car models on one server. Example: Formula1600; Formula1800. This allows both the Formula1600 and the Formula1800 on one server to race together.



MULTIPORT

This value should always be set to 0. The advised setting for multiport is off. When it is off, it basically means that all the communications between server and clients is done through a single UDP port. This is easier for router configuration as well, because it only requires one UDP port to be opened up.

LOOP

This element can take one of 5 values, ranging from 0 to 4. Each of the values corresponds to the list that is available in the GUI.

WINNER BALLAST

This element allows you to define a specific weight ballast (in KGs) to the winner of a race in the next race. All other cars will also get a part of the winner ballast (evenly redistributed).

SESSIONS In this element, you need to define the total amount of sessions in one ‘server loop’. After all sessions are completed, the server will reset to the first session (depending on the selected loop procedure).

[SESSIONx]

For each session, you need to define a ‘[SESSIONx]’ block. The x is the number for the session. This number starts at 0 and increases by 1 for every additional session. If you have three sessions (Practice, Qualifying, and Race), the Practice session will be [SESSION0], Qualifying will be [SESSION1] and the Race session will be described in block [SESSION2].

TYPE

This element defines what session type it is. There are three session types: 0 (Practice session), 1 (Qualifying session) and 2 (Race session). So, in the example above, SESSION0 will be ‘Type = 0’, SESSION1 will be ‘Type = 1’ and SESSION2 will be ‘Type = 2’.

[ENTRYLIST] Under [ENTRYLIST] you can manually predefine a list of users who are eligible to connect to the server. Only the drivers listed can connect. You can even predefine a starting grid when you set USEFORGRID to the value 1. In this case, the order (DRIVER0, DRIVER1, et cetera) will be the starting grid order.



Make sure that the names of the drivers are correct (they all need to include the GUID as well). You can find all driver GUIDs that connected to your server in the ‘server/users’ folder under your netKar PRO root folder.

Server start and stop After you configured your server settings, you can start your server in two ways: Using the GUI, or directly by starting nkServer.exe. Using the GUI will also directly start nkServer.exe.

Starting nkServer.exe launched a Command window in which the console messages are shown Simply start the server by double-clicking on nkServer.exe. As soon as the ‘Command’ window appears, your server is up and available for online racing. As soon as you close the server window, the server will be unavailable for online racing. Any drivers connected to your server will be disconnected and see the ‘CONNECTION LOST’ message when you close the server. Known Issue Note: If you want to close the server, you can do this by simply closing the ‘Command’ window. If you are running Windows XP, you can better close the server by pressing Ctrl+F1. This will avoid an error upon closing the server.



Server output When nkServer.exe is running, all major activity is logged in a text file. This text file is located in the ‘server/logs’ folder. For each start of nkServer.exe a new text file is made, containing a timestamp in the file name. Therefore if you keep your server running for a few days without stopping it, all activity will be collected in a single log file. You can use the log files to create automatic race result overviews. Things like pitlane speed limit infractions, jump starts and collisions (both car-to-car and car-to-wall) are logged in the log files, making it an extremely useful source for online racing leagues. Leagues can parse the .txt files to create completely automated race results. In-game server administration functions netKar PRO allows basic control of the server with in-game server administration functions. The in-game administrator functions are as follows:

1. Become administrator of a race server By entering the admin password, a connected user can become administrator of the server. Any connected driver can become administrator. To become administrator, press ‘ESC’ in an online race when you are connected. The screen below will appear:

The ESC-screen. You can move your car to the pitlane or pitbox with this window, or exit back to the menu, but you can also enter an admin password. By entering the correct password, you can become administrator of the server



Click on ‘admin password’ to be able enter the administrator password. Note the yellow line around the box indicating that you can enter the password After clicking on the ‘admin password’ textbox, you can enter the administrator password. See image below:

Typing the administrator password in the ‘admin password’ box and pressing the ‘become admin’ button to become administrator If you entered the correct password, press the ‘become admin’ button in order to become in-game server administrator. If you typed the correct password, you will see a confirmation message of your ‘admin’ role on the server in the chat window. This is shown below.



Confirmation message of becoming administrator of the server

2. Move to the next session Once you are admin of a server, you can control the server. You can now move the server to the next session of the server whenever you want. To do so, press ‘ESC’ to bring up the admin menu and press the ‘next ses’ button. The server will now immediately complete the current session and move the server to the next scheduled session.

Pressing the ‘next ses’ button immediately moves the server to the next scheduled session. In this case, the administrator moved the server from the qualifying to the race session

3. Restart the server (to the first session)

Once you are admin of a server, you can control the server. You can decide to restart the server, which basically means that the server will restart with the first scheduled session. This can be handy in case of first lap crashes, which could require a quick restart. To do this, press ‘ESC’ to bring up the admin menu. Press the ‘restart’ button, after which the server will be restarted. You can then use the ‘next ses’ button to move the server back to the race session for a restart for example.

You can restart the server (it returns to the start of the first session) by pressing the ‘restart’ button in the administrator options menu



12. AAIIMM TTeelleemmeettrryy:: ppeerrffoorrmmaannccee aannaallyyssiiss netKar PRO is a professional online racing simulation. An important part of this professional approach is the ability to analyse the car’s performance using telemetry analysis. For this, netKar PRO works together with AIM Sportline, a producer of real-world telemetry devices. You can perform telemetry analysis by using the ‘Race Analysis 2’ software by AIM Sportline (http://www.aim-sportline.com/pages/download/section_software.php). This chapter will guide you through your first steps in the analysis process. Logging telemetry You need to explicitly command netKar PRO to log the data using the AIM device. This is done in the netKar PRO car setup menu. The next screens show you how to enable the data logging.

Start a track day (offline) session by clicking the ‘track day’ button. Then press ‘start session’ to start a track day session



After you start the session, press ‘car setup’ in the session tab

Press the ‘AIM’ tab in the Car setup options



Enable and configure the data logging device

This window allows you to personalise the AIM device to your own preferences. You can disable or enable the AIM telemetry device logging by disabling or enabling the ’enable data logger’ checkbox. If you want to log the telemetry to performance analysis after the session, make sure to enable the ’enable data logger’ checkbox. If you are not interested in logging telemetry, you can disable the checkbox. This will also provide you a bit more performance.

You need to select the data channels yourself. Common channels to log are the gas, brake & clutch pedals and the gear. The speed is logged automatically.

Note: Make sure to confirm and save your settings by pressing ‘setup car’. This action will save your preferences to the AIM device which is mounted in the cockpit of your car. Telemetry analysis After you completed a session on-track, you can start performing telemetry analysis. The telemetry is saved in a file called ‘telemetry_dump.nkt’, which is saved in the ‘netKar PRO/aim’ folder inside the netKar PRO folder in your ‘My documents’ folder. This data file is overwritten each time you do an on-track session. If you do not backup this file or import the telemetry in ‘Race Analysis 2’, this data will be lost.

The telemetry data is dumped in the My Documents folder



Download (http://www.aim-sportline.com/pages/download/section_software.php), install and start the ‘Race Analysis 2’ software package.

Select ‘Import NetKar file’ on the ‘Race Analysis 2’ software File menu. The dialog box below appears

Select the telemetry._dump.nkt file. This will import the file into ‘Race Analysis 2’

Race Analysis 2 now asks you to save a ‘drk file’. This is a format known to ‘Race Analysis 2’. Choose a name and press ‘Save’ to save the file so you can start analysing



The final step of the preparation is setting the Test information settings, where you can change the name and also have the opportunity to add some test comments

The test will now appear in the ‘Test database’. Select the test and press ‘Open test’ to open it

The test is now opened. All laps that you drove in the test are listed in the right dialog. On the left you see the logged channels. The Speed and Gear channels are enabled in this example. Notice that the ‘Test database and lap manager’ tab is selected



Click on the ‘Measures graph’ to plot the channels in a graph. Here you see the Speed (red line) and the Gear (green line) being plotted

You can add the track map, by selecting the ‘Map’ menu. Then select ‘New’ if you do not have a map of the track yet

Select ‘Four wheels’ and ‘Closed’ and mirror the track if necessary. Then add the name of the track in the File name box and press OK to save it. You can recognize the Aviano Full GP track here already



The track map is displayed now as well (enable the track map by clicking ‘Map’ and then ‘Show track map’—or press Shift+F1). Notice the cross on the track map. You can select a place on the track map and you will see in the channel panel all telemetry data on that specific area of the track during the selected lap (in this case, lap 2 is selected). Notice that the speed is 160 km/h and that the car is running 3rd gear (this is the Formula1600 which only has 4 gears) Comparing laps In the previous parts, insight has been given to basic telemetry analysis. However, things get really interesting when you start comparing individual laps. To do this, go back to the ‘Test database and Lap manager’ tab, as depicted below:

We want to compare the fastest lap (lap 2) with the 3rd lap. To do this, click on the 3rd lap. Right-click and select ‘Show slice’



Adding a slice to the telemetry analysis environment allows comparison between lap 2 and lap 3

After adding the slice, you will see that both lap 2 and 3 are now visible in the Channel window (they both have a yellow icon in the main window, too). You can also immediately see that the speed through the fast left hander was higher on lap 2 Now for the real analysis: Press the ‘Measures graph’ tab again to view the telemetry data of both laps on top of each other in one single graph



This screen is the core of the telemetry analysis. Notice that the Speed and Gear channels are still both enabled. The Speed line from lap 2 is the orange line. The Speed line from lap 3 is shown as a blue line. You can clearly see where the driver was slower in lap 3 (in corner 9). When you select corner 9 on the track map, you will immediately see the actual speeds on both laps on this place. The difference is huge: almost 18 km/h! Also notice the quite huge difference in shifting moments in both laps



13. WWaattcchh tthhee aaccttiioonn aaggaaiinn:: rreeppllaayyss All action in multiplayer races is logged in a replay. You can save and load replays after you leave the race. You can even edit replays if you want to save a specific part of a replay. This chapter explains the possibilities offered by the replay feature in netKar PRO.

Configuring replay memory Before being able to save and load a replay, you must configure the replay feature. In your netKar PRO options (see below) you will find an option which allows you to configure the ‘replay memory’ in minutes.

Because storing replays uses system memory, the longer your replay memory is, the more resources it will use. Setting the replay memory to 45 minutes or 60 minutes will give you plenty of replay material to review a 15-lap race and a 15-minute qualifying.

Note: If your session was longer than the configured amount of replay memory, only the last part will be saved. So, if you raced for 60 minutes, and your replay memory is set to 45 minutes, you will have the final 45 minutes of your session available to save as replay.

The replay memory setting in the netKar PRO options. Setting it to 45 minutes is a good balance between performance and replay material availability. More system memory (> 2GB) means being able to set the replay memory higher without getting into memory problems

After setting your replay memory, netKar PRO will start saving your on-track action automatically for the configured duration.

Note: Every time you go to the track, netKar PRO will reset the replay. So, if you want to save a Track Day or Multiplayer session, make sure to save your replay before going to the track again, otherwise your replay will be overwritten.

Saving replays Replays are not saved automatically. If you want to review a cool session, you need to manually secure the replay from the session. To save your replay, press ‘Replay’ and then ‘Save last replay’ in the netKar PRO menu (see image below).



The save replay dialog window. You can review the replay details and assign a preferred replay name. Press ‘save’ to save the replay

After you press the ‘save’ button, you will get a confirmation that the replay is saved successfully.

Now that the replay is saved, it is available as replay. You can view the replay by loading it. The next part will explain how to load replays.

Note: After you return from the track to the menu, wait a few seconds (10 seconds is a good time frame) before actually saving the replay. Your operating system needs a few seconds to dump the replay from memory to your hard disk. This avoids getting corrupt replays.

Loading replays After you saved a replay, you can load the replay from the netKar PRO menu. See the image below:



Simply select a replay from the available replays list and press the ‘view’ button to start loading the replay in the 3D environment. In this case, we select the replay we saved in the previous section.

In the ‘replay info’ box, you can see basic information on the replay, containing the driver who saved the replay, the car, the track, the replay duration, and the total number of remote cars which participated in the session.

Controlling replays There are various buttons active in replay with which you can control the replay. The replay controls are explained in this section:

F3 —TV camera TV camera (press again to zoom more).

F2 —Onboard camera

Onboard camera. Use the F2 key to cycle through various onboard cameras (the amount of onboard cameras varies per car model). You need to be in TV Mode first (F3 key) before being able to use the F2 key.

+ —Focus Focus the TV or onboard camera to the next remote car.

F —Fast-forward

Fast-forward the replay. When pressed along with the W-key, it moves the replay forward frame-by-frame.

D —Rewind Rewind the replay. When pressed along with the W-key, it rewinds the replay frame-by-frame.



S —Slow motion

Play the replay in slow-motion.

W —Freeze replay Freeze the replay frame. Keep pressed to move forward frame by frame. A better approach to move forward frame by frame, though, is to press the W-key, and then move forward frame-by-frame by keeping the F-key pressed.

F4 —TV overlay

TV Overlay. Shows driver names and standings.

The most common controls in replays are the fast forward (F-key), rewind (D-key) and freeze (W-key).

TV overlay In a replay, you can see important information with the TV overlay. You can enable and disable the TV overlay by pressing the F4-key.

The TV overlay looks like this:

The TV overlay shows the drivers, their actual position, their nationality, the differences between the drivers, their laptimes, and the difference between their laptime and the laptime of the driver in front

The TV overlay shows the current standings in the race. As soon as driver crosses the start/finish, the TV overlay is updated. The overlay shows the standings and differences between the drivers. Besides that, the TV overlay also shows the last laptimes of all the drivers and shows the difference between the laptime of the driver and the laptime of the driver in front.



The overlay also shows the lap and the total race laps. The lap is the last completed lap by the leader of the race. In the image above it says 1/6, which means that the overlay shows the standings after 1 lap of a 6-lap race.

Besides the lap information, the ‘Watching’ information shows which driver the TV camera is focused on at that moment; in this example, ‘F Rogge’.

Editing replays netKar PRO replays contain all action in your offline or online session, only limited by the replay memory that you configured. However, sometimes you just want to share a small piece of a replay with someone else. You can do this by editing a replay.

Editing a replay basically means that you can cut a specific part from a replay and save it as a new replay. Editing replays works as following. You basically define a starting point from where you want to start the ‘edited replay’. After that, you define the end point of the edited replay. Then, you can save the edited replay by pressing ‘save’. You can also reset your selection, which brings the full replay back.

The edit options automatically appear in the replay when you move your move to the top left area of your screen (in replays only!). See below:

A netKar PRO replay. You can enable the edit options by moving your mouse to the top left area of your screen

In this case, we are onboard a car, looking back at two cars driving close together. An incident happens between the two cars, and we want to save only the crash from the replay for further analysis. We found this position by fast-forwarding (F-key) to this lap in the replay. Then, we went onboard on this car by clicking the F3-key (to move into TV view), then the F2-key (to cycle to the onboard camera which looks behind the car) and finally the + key (to select the preferred multiplayer car).



To start editing, press the ‘edit IN’ button. This marks the specific point of the replay, as displayed below.

The starting point (I) of the replay edit has been marked by clicking ‘edit IN’.

After pressing ‘edit IN’, you can move forward and define the position where you want your replay edit to end. Basically, you can now let the replay run or fast-forward to the place where you want to end your replay ‘cut’.

In this case, we just want to edit out the incident, which took no longer than 3 seconds. We freeze the screen (W-key) and then move forward frame-by-frame (F-key) to the moment where we want to replay edit to end (see image below).

Moved forward to the point where we want to end the replay edit. Notice that the ‘edit OUT’ button has not been pressed yet (therefore the label below edit OUT still displays O: -1)

In order to confirm your replay edit selection, press the ‘edit OUT’ button. This will define the O-value (Out) as shown below.



The ‘edit OUT’ button has been pressed, completing the selection. Notice that the O-value is now filled with 14301, which basically means that the replay edit contains frames 14248 until 14301

Now you have created your replay cut containing the frames between 14248 and 14301. If you let the replay run, it will now only show the edited part.

You can now save the edited replay by pressing the ‘save edit’ button, as depicted below:

Save the edited replay by pressing ‘save edit’. The replay edit is now saved as a separate replay in the ‘replays’ folder

Your saved replay is just another replay, stored in the same place as all other replays. This means that the edited saved replay will also appear in the ‘available replay list’, as shown below:



Your edited replay will automatically appear in the available replay list. By default, the name of the edited replay will be the name of the original replay with the prefix ‘edit_’

Note: You can start the edit process all over again by pressing the ‘reset’ button. This will stop the loop which contained only the edited part and will make the full replay available again.

Analyzing incidents Sim-racing is racing, and in racing, accidents are bound to happen, simply because human drivers are driving racecars to the limit. However, especially in racing leagues, accidents can have a big impact—not only literally, but also by influencing race results and championship positions.

Therefore you need a way to analyze race incidents after the race. Replays are the best way to this.



Below is an example:

A collision between two FTarget cars on Newbury, viewed from TV view.

The pictures above show the same incident in several frames, this time from the T-cam view on the car behind that touched the right-rear wheel of the car in front.

Using the replay controls, you can view the incident from a variety of angles and determine whether or not the incident was a race incident, or a culpable decision by one driver.



14. OOtthheerr ttooppiiccss There are various other, smaller, topics which deserve attention when driving netKar PRO. These topics are discussed in this chapter. They contain handy information for both beginners and more advanced drivers.

Cleaning your visor—L key If you notice that your visor is getting dirty, you can clean your visor (use tear-off) by pressing the L-key. Even better is assigning the L-key action to a button on your steering wheel or button box. You will notice that you will want to clean your visor during longer races, especially when driving close behind another driver.

‘Doom’ mode—F11 key

You can walk around the track using Doom mode. You can enter Doom mode by pressing the F11-key when you are in your cockpit. You will find yourself standing besides your car. Walk around using the mouse and the arrow keys on your keyboard. In order to go back into your cockpit, walk back to your car and press the F11-key again. You can walk anywhere on the track in Doom mode. You can crouch by pressing the C-key. You can not walk through walls in Doom mode. Note: Your car is automatically put back in your pitbox after a session has been completed. If you are far away on the track, you will have to walk all the way back to your pitbox.

Damage

netKar PRO comes with visual damage in the form of losing front and rear wings and suspension damage. When you have a small touch against another car or a wall, you will notice that your steering will be different and more difficult to steer because of damage to your suspension. After a bigger crash, you may find your suspension being broken, making driving really hard. Losing a front or rear wing also massively impacts the stability of the car. If you lose your front wing, you will notice a lot of understeer due to the loss of downforce on the front wheels. Losing the rear wing has the reverse effect: you will have to fight sudden oversteer.



Battery status

In netKar PRO, you have to start your car manually. This is described in chapter 7. However, it is very important that you have enabled the master and ignition before attempting to start the engine. If you don’t have the systems running, you will notice that the engine does not want to start after pressing the start switch. You can only attempt to start the engine a few times before the battery will drain. Once the battery is dead, you can not start the engine, and you will have leave the session. Therefore always check that you have enabled the systems before starting the engine.

Slick and grooved Formula1600 & Formula1800 tyres The Formula1600 and Formula1800 come with two tyre models: regular slick tyres, and grooved tyres. The slick tyres offer superior grip and performance, while the grooved tyres offer durability.

You can change the tyres only when starting the Track Day menu. Select the car (Formula1600 or 1800), start a session and then press ‘car setup’ on the ‘session’ tab (see image above). The dialog box as displayed above will appear, allowing you to select the tyres. The Normal slick race tyres are Avon FF_Front & Avon FF_Rear. The road groove tyre are Avon FF_RG_Front & AV FormulaRG_Rear.



Slick (left) vs. grooved (right) tyres Select the tyres and press ‘mount’ to instruct your crew to select those tyres. Confirm your selection by pressing ‘setup car’. This will mount the selected tyres to your car. Note: You can not change the tyre model inside the simulation.

Head movement

netKar PRO simulates the movement of the driver’s head inside the virtual helmet. This is called ‘head movement’. The head movement can be fine tuned in the netKar PRO options (see below):

The head movement can be configured in all directions:



Lateral Lateral head movement means movements from left to right. Set to a very negative value to ‘look into the corner’, set to a positive value to lean to the outside of the corners (as if your neck is getting tired from the g-forces).

Vertical The vertical head movement occurs when the car drives over curbstones or other bumps.

Longitudinal If you accelerate or brake hard, you will move your head. This value simulates the head movement in longitudinal direction (for example, the head moves closer to the steering wheel during hard braking). Set to a high positive value to move toward the steering wheel under hard braking, which is the most immersive and realistic setting.

Hardmode

netKar PRO has a special force feedback setting called ‘Hardmode’. This mode is using an algorithm directly applied from technology used in the highest forms of racing, where the steering is sort of ‘boosted’ at low torques values. Hardmode will provide a firmer steering, but doesn’t calculate speed, and will not be completely realistic for the Formula2000 and FTarget cars. Hardmode is interesting for drivers who prefer harder steering forces. Using it is therefore preferable to raising the ‘gain and clipping’ values in the setup. You can define Hardmode as either on oroff in the file nkpro.ini which is located in the ‘cfg’ folder in your netKar PRO installation folder:

To enable Hardmode, set the value to 1. To disable it, set the value to 0. Default value is 0.

OpenAL OpenAL (Open Audio Library) is a free software cross-platform audio API. It is designed for efficient rendering of multichannel three dimensional positional audio. Its API style and conventions deliberately resemble that of OpenGL.



The general functionality of OpenAL is encoded in source objects, audio buffers, and a single listener. A source object contains a pointer to a buffer, the velocity, position and direction of the sound, and the intensity of the sound. The listener object contains the velocity, position and direction of the listener, and the general gain applied to all sound. The rendering engine performs all necessary calculations as far as distance attenuation, Doppler Effect, et cetera. netKar PRO has implemented the OpenAL audio API. By default, OpenAL is enabled. If you experience sound problems (cracks, et cetera), you can disable OpenAL in the nkpro.ini file. This file is located in the ‘cfg’ folder in your netKar PRO installation folder:

To enable OpenAL, set the value at USEOPENAL to 1. To disable it, set the value to 0. Default value is 1.

Custom car liveries netKar PRO allows custom-made liveries to be used for all the cars. This means that you can create your own car skin and drive it in netKar PRO. To create your own car livery, you need to create a new folder in the ‘cars/<car name>/skins’ folder. The most convenient way to do this is to copy and paste an existing car skin folder. The file contents of the car livery folder are as follows:



Formula1600, Formula1800 & FTarget:

Filename Description Required Skin_001.tga

Car livery itself containing a 2D picture of the car livery which is rendered in 3D in the simulation. Has to be a square, i.e. 1024*1024 pixels or 512*512 pixels (most common dimensions).

Yes

Cockpit_HR.png

A high definition file for displaying the cockpit instruments. This file is optional. By default an already good looking cockpit texture is displayed, but using the Cockpit_HR.png file you can create your own version. Dimensions: 1024*1024 pixels.

No

Driver_name.png

A transparent .png file of 128*32 pixels containing the driver name (and country flag) which is rendered on the sides of the car. Required in the car skin folder for online racing, if you want other drivers to see your name printed on your car.

No

Tx_helmet.png

The helmet of the driver. Required in the car skin folder for online racing, if you want other drivers to see your helmet. Dimensions of the helmet texture: 512*256 pixels.

No

Helmet-Glass.png

A transparent .png file of 512*128 pixels containing the visor of the helmet of the driver. Can include a sticker.

No

Tx_Driver.png

The face of the driver. Dimensions: 128*64 pixels.

No

ui.bmp

Preview picture of the car, measuring 400*150 pixels as dimensions.

No



Formula2000:

Filename Description Required F-R_Skin_001.tga

Car livery itself containing a 2D picture of the car livery which is rendered in 3D in the simulation. The car livery has to be a square image, i.e. 1024*1024 pixels or 512*512 pixels (these are the most common dimensions). Making the dimensions really small reduces the ‘join lag’ effect and loading models time, but also reduces the quality of the livery.

Yes

Cockpit_HR.png

A high definition file for displaying the cockpit instruments. This file is optional. By default an already good looking cockpit texture is displayed, but using the Cockpit_HR.png file you can create your own version. Dimensions: 1024*1024 pixels.

No

Driver_name.png

A transparent .png file of 128*32 pixels containing the driver name (and country flag) which is rendered on the sides of the car. Required in the car skin folder for online racing, if you want other drivers to see your name printed on your car.

No

Tx_helmet.png

The helmet of the driver. Required in the car skin folder for online racing, if you want other drivers to see your helmet. Dimensions of the helmet texture: 512*256 pixels.

No

Helmet-Glass.png

A transparent .png file of 512*128 pixels containing the visor of the helmet of the driver. Can include a sticker.

No

Tx_Driver.png

The face of the driver. Dimensions: 128*64 pixels.

No

ui.bmp

Preview picture of the car, measuring 400*150 pixels as dimensions.

No



The most important file with regard to your car livery is the Skin_001.tga (for Formula2000: F-R_Skin_001) file. This file contains a two-dimensional picture of the car livery itself and looks like this:

Car livery file opened in photo editing tool (Formula1600) In order to create your own livery, you need the following:

1) Photo editing tool 2) Livery template

You need a photo editing tool which supports (open and save) the TGA file format. The best format is compressed 32-bit TGA files. You can create high-quality liveries when the photo editor support layers, which allow you to add shadows and gradients to your livery. In this case, use a livery template (which is installed with layers) for your car skins. Livery templates are not provided by netKar PRO, but can be found in the community forums as add-ons. Read the netKar PRO skinning tutorial by Julian Dyer (see the Links section) to create a proper car livery for netKar PRO. Find the link in the Links section at the end of this manual.

Equipment Besides the car livery, you can also add your own equipment. This includes:

o Helmet (folder ‘helmets’) o Racing suit (folder ‘suits’) o Gloves (folder ‘gloves’)

This equipment files need to be put in the ‘equipments’ folder in the root netKar PRO folder.



Helmet The helmet is the most important element here. You can use the same Tx_helmet.png file for your equipment as used for your car skin. Creating helmets works the same way as creating a car skin. Simply create a new folder under your helmets folder and put your helmet files in that folder. See the table below for the helmet file requirements:

Filename Description Required <<folder name>>_UI.png

The image of the helmet as displayed as preview image in the equipment menu. The name of this image depends on the name of the folder. The name must be same as the name of the folder, with the postfix _UI. Example: Jaap Wagenvoort_UI.png (put in folder 'Jaap Wagenvoort'). This file is required. Dimensions: 96*96 pixels. Maximum folder name length: 15 characters.

Yes

Tx_helmet.png

The helmet of the driver. Required to be selected as equipment if you want to see yourself carrying your own helmet in your car. Dimensions of the helmet texture: 512*256 pixels.

Yes

Suit You can define and wear your own racing suit by creating and selecting one. It works the same as creating your own helmet.


The image of the suit as displayed as preview image in the equipment menu. The name of this image depends on the name of the folder. The name must be same as the name of the folder, with the postfix _UI. Example: white_blue_UI.png (put in folder white_blue'). This file is required. Dimensions: 120*200 pixels. Maximum folder name length: 15 characters.

Yes

pilot_legs.png

The image of the legs of the driver as seen in the cockpit. This file is required if you want to see your legs in a specific color when driving the car. This file is required. Dimensions: 512*512 pixels.

Yes

body.png

The body of the driver. Required to be selected as equipment if you want a specific body color of your suit when you drive your car. Dimensions of the helmet texture: 256*256 pixels.

Yes



Gloves You can define and wear your own racing gloves by creating and selecting one. It works the same as creating your own helmet.


The image of the gloves as displayed as preview image in the equipment menu. The name of this image depends on the name of the folder. The name must be same as the name of the folder, with the postfix _UI. Example: cool_gloves_UI.png (put in folder ‘cool_gloves'). This file is required. Dimensions: 80*110 pixels. Maximum folder name length: 15 characters.

Yes

hands.png

The image of the gloves of the driver as seen when driving the car (from outside or T-cam view). This file is required if you want to your own gloves during races or replays. This file is required. Dimensions: 256*128 pixels.

Yes

Selecting your equipment After you have created your own equipment, you need to select it in the netKar PRO menu. To select your equipment, press the ‘driver’ button in the netKar PRO menu.

The equipment selection menu



Select your helmet, gloves and racing suit by selecting them from the dropdown lists. Make sure that the folder names of your equipment do not exceed the length of 15 characters, otherwise you will receive the error below when opening the driver menu:

Save your equipment by pressing ‘ok’ in the equipment menu. After this, you will see your equipment during the next Track Day session. However, if you want other drivers to see your skins and equipments as well, you need to do a further step as explained below.

Using liveries and equipment in online races An important requirement of using custom-made skins (liveries and equipment) in online races is that all drivers have the skins installed in their own installation of netKar PRO. This means that skins need to be uploaded on the internet and then downloaded and installed by all drivers. This is called a ‘carset’ in racing terms. If you do not install a carset, and another driver is using a custom-made skin, you will see the car appearing in an all-red livery, while the driver helmet will render as a default grey helmet. Note: There will not be any errors when you do not have custom-made skins downloaded and installed in your netKar PRO installation. The only downside is that you will not see those other custom-made skins, which can be really useful to quickly recognize specific drivers.

Increasing the resolution of the mirrors The mirrors show what is happening behind the car. The resolution of the mirrors is not extremely high, because the mirrors require quite some performance. However, if your pc has plenty of power, you can create higher quality mirror display by increasing the resolution. These settings are available in the file ‘nkpro.ini’ (RESX and RESY). This file is located in the folder ‘cfg’ in the netKar PRO root folder.

Changing the Field of View of the mirrors Besides the resolution, you can also change the Field of View of the mirrors. This value can also be configured in the file ‘nkpro.ini’ (FOV). This file is located in the folder ‘cfg’ in the netKar PRO root folder.



15. TTrroouubblleesshhoooottiinngg This final chapter of the netKar PRO manual provides answers to common questions and problems. If you bump into an issue, just look through the questions and answers and see if your problem is explained. If you can not find the solution, check the Reference to locate a discussion in this manual.

What are the system requirements for netKar PRO? The minimum system requirements for netKar PRO are as follows:

1,7 GHz Processor or higher 512 MB RAM 64 MB Graphics card with DirectX 8.0 support (ATI 9600 PRO / NVIDIA 5900 or higher) Built-in sound card 1 GB hard disk free space A 100% Windows 2000/XP/Vista compatible computer system Microsoft .NET 1.1 Runtime

These requirements are the strict minimum system requirements. Today’s hardware will offer much better performance. If you are in doubt whether your system meets the minimum requirements, try the multiplayer demo first and base your decision on the way your system deals with online racing.

Can’t create a profile? There are various reasons that can prevent you from creating a profile. First make sure you insert names that are at least 3 characters long. Avoid using special characters like β, œ, ç, é and ï. Try sticking to normal alphabetical characters to avoid problems during creating of the profile and activation of your account.

After I touched the grass, I have no grip for a while. What’s going on? netKar PRO simulates dirty tyres. This means that when you get dirt on one or more tyres, those tyres will produce less overall grip because of the dirt and dust on the tyre surface. This dirt results in a less cohesion to the tyre and therefore less grip. You will notice this especially in corners where the reduced grip will mean that you have to reduce your speed in order to complete the corner. After a while, the dirt will be removed from the tyres and you will notice the improved grip levels.

I can’t Alt-Tab to Windows. What can I do? You can Alt-Tab to Windows if you disable the ‘fullscreen’ checkbox in the Video options ‘Options -> Video Options’ in the menu.

There’s no telemetry dump in the aim folder after a session. How come? Telemetry dumps are not created automatically. You must explicitly enable the data logger, which is responsible for logging various telemetry data channels.



You can enable the data logger on the AIM tab of the car setup window. Note: Enabling the data logger will use more performance from your computer than running without it.

I see weird transparent boxes with bright blue lines online? How come? The weird transparent boxes are not a bug, but a feature of netKar PRO. A box is created when a new driver connects to a multiplayer session when you are on-track driving.

This way, the newly connected driver does not give you a so-called ‘join lag’, which basically means that your screens freezes momentarily, causing you to lose concentration and possibly a good laptime.

After you stop your car (on the track, or in the pitlane), the car model and texture of the newly connected driver(s) will automatically be loaded and the transparent box will be replaced with a proper car.

I have sound problems. What can I do about it? OpenAL (Open Audio Library) is a free software cross-platform audio API. It is designed for efficient rendering of multichannel three dimensional positional audio. Its API style and conventions deliberately resemble that of OpenGL.

netKar PRO has implemented the OpenAL audio API. By default, OpenAL is enabled. If you experience sound problems (cracks, et



cetera), you can disable OpenAL in the nkpro.ini file. This file is located in the ‘cfg’ folder in your netKar PRO installation folder: To enable OpenAL, set the value at USEOPENAL to 1. To disable it, set the value to 0. Default value is 1.

I can’t start the car. What am I doing wrong? In netKar PRO you must start the engine of the car manually, just like in real life. This means that you need to follow the correct start procedure, switching knobs just like in the real cars that are simulated in netKar PRO.

The start procedure can be overwhelming, especially because in other simulations the cars are normally already started and ready to go. netKar PRO is different in this. The start procedure is explained in chapter 4.

If you do not want to have to manually switch the knobs in the cockpit of the car, you can also enable the ‘automatic ignition and systems on’ checkbox, which is available in the netKar PRO options menu (see image).

Simply enable the ‘automatic ignition and systems on’ checkbox in the options and the car will be ready for action when you are in the pitbox. All systems will be on already, and all you need to do is start the engine (refer to the start procedure for each car to find out how to start the engine).

I am getting .NET errors in netKar PRO and on executing nkServer.exe. How come? netKar PRO requires .NET v1.1 to be installed. Installing .NET 2.0 is not enough. You must have v1.1 installed in order to run netKar PRO properly.

I am aware of the start instructions, but I still can’t start the car? If you are following the correct start procedure, but still have problems starting the car, read on. There are a few other reasons that may prevent you from starting the engine of the car.

1. Drained battery All cars in netKar PRO are equipped with a battery, which provides the car with the basic power required to start the engine. However, the batteries have limited capacity. If you attempt to start the car too often, you will drain the battery. Once the battery is almost drained, it will no longer be capable of providing enough power to start the engine. You will not be able to start the



engine, and will have to leave the session and start a new one (giving your mechanics time to replace the battery).

2. Blown engine When you suffer extensive engine damage, you will not be able to start the engine again. You will have to stop your session and start a new one to replace the engine in order to be able to drive again.

3. FullMode repair or setup change time Online races can be set up using netKar PRO’s FullMode. FullMode is a highly realistic racing mode, which means that you will have to wait for setup changes to be completed, and you will have to drive back to the pits after a hotlap.

If you decide not to drive back to the pits, but simply press ‘ESC -> go to box/pits’ instead, you will be unable to drive away in FullMode, because FullMode will assign you a ‘tow-back to pit’ time penalty.

You will then see a ‘READY IN’ countdown timer on the bottom right of your screen, as displayed in the image above.

You will also see this timer if you decide to change a setup component during a FullMode a session, and when you decide to fix damage to your car.

My car is shaking heavily all the time. What is wrong? Unlike other racing simulations, tyres in netKar PRO are not automatically replaced when you start a new session. This means that if you never change (mount) new tyres, you will continue to drive on the same set of tyres.

This will eventually lead to very poor tyre performance, especially if you have flatspotted your tyres due to excessive locking-up.



So, if you suffer shaking and vibration from your tyres, you probably have flatspots. Mount new tyres by pressing the ‘Mount Front’ and ‘Mount Rear’ buttons on the ‘tyres’ tab in the setup options as displayed in the picture above.

You can also see the total amount of completed kilometres for your current set of tyres in this screen.

It is important to learn to avoid locking your tyres too often. This wears the brakes and causes flatspots. In netKar PRO, things like this are properly simulated and can not be turned off.

I’m terribly slow in the Formula1600 and Formula1800 compared to other drivers. Am I such a rubbish driver or have I missed something? The Formula1600 and Formula1800 can be driven on two types of tyres. Both tyre types are displayed on the right: The regular slick tyres (left) and the road grooved (right) tyres. The slick tyres offer more grip and performance.

If you are really slow compared to other drivers, check your tyres because you may be using the slower grooved tyres on your car.

You can change your tyre type in the netKar PRO car setup menu (in the menu, this can not be changed from inside the simulation). This is explained in chapter 8.

After changing setup components, I can’t move the car anymore? How come? This happens during FullMode sessions. If you change a car setup component (for example, a gear ratio) during a FullMode session, you will experience the simulated time for the pitcrew to complete the requested setup change.



Notice that the steer ratio has been changed in the image above during a FullMode session. Changing the steer ratio takes 1 minute of pitcrew work time. Notice that the READY IN countdown timer has appeared, and that the steer ratio setup component becomes yellow, indicating that this setup component has been changed, and that the pitcrew is now working on it.

You cannot drive until the READY IN countdown timer reached 0 seconds.

Note: You can remove the timer by undoing the setup change.

How do I know if the server is running FullMode? The only way to check that the server is running in FullMode is to see if the topbar is displayed. If you do not see the topbar, the server is in FullMode.

After ESC back to pit or box, I can’t move the car anymore? How come? In FullMode sessions, you cannot ESC back to the pitlane or pitbox without receiving a ‘tow-back to pit’ time.

If you decide to ESC back to pit or box, you will see the picture on the right. Notice the READY IN countdown timer.

You can only start driving again after the timer reached 0 seconds, simulating the time required to bring your car back to the pitlane.

Note: You cannot undo this countdown once you have selected ‘go to box’ or ‘go to pit’. You only receive a tow-back time when you are on the track (i.e., when you do not see the setup options). Moving to the box from the pitlane position or vice versa (from box to pitlane) can be done without receiving a tow-back time. In other words:



you only receive a tow-back time when you are on the track and go back to the pits or box.

My car doesn’t get fixed in between two sessions in FullMode. How come? Repairing your car in-between two FullMode sessions (i.e., in the ‘waiting time’ prior to the start of a new session) always happens immediately. The same applies to loading setups. This is only possible during the waiting time of a session. The waiting time is the simulated equivalent of the time between two sessions in a race weekend. Therefore you can load setups and repair your car without having to wait during the waiting time.

When your car does not get fixed after the server loops from the end of the race back to the first session (for example, qualifying), this is mostly due to a wrong configuration of the qualifying session. There must always be a short waiting time for the qualifying session (even if it is just 10 seconds) in order for the car to be repaired automatically. If the server is configured to have a waiting time of 0 seconds for the qualifying session, the car will not be repaired. Therefore always make sure (if you set up a server) to assign a waiting time before every session.

What kind of driving aids are available? netKar PRO is a ‘hardcore’ driving simulator. If the -real-car reproduced in the simulator supports any driving aid (like ABS, traction control, and so forth), the simulator will support them too. The single-seaters reproduced in the first version of netKar PRO do not allow for any kind of driving aids.

In consideration of the fact that most users do not have the third pedal on their game controllers, netKar PRO allows for an automatic clutch. For all other controls, you have to throttle, brake, shift, and steer by yourself, just like the drivers have to do in real life. There are no driving aids such as ‘automatic gears’ or ‘steering help’ in netKar PRO.

I do not like to race from cockpit. How can I configure a different view? You can’t. The only driving view in netKar PRO is the cockpit view. The reason for this is simple: drivers in real life cannot select a different driving view, so in netKar PRO you can’t either.

You can change or fine tune the cockpit view to your preferences in the setup, where you can also change your seating position and POV.

Sometimes I cannot shift gears. How come? Using an automatic clutch, you have to shift gears at the proper engine’s RPM. To shift up, release the throttle, and then shift up gear. To shift down, you have to do it at the proper vehicle speed. This is especially relevant for the Formula1600 and Formula1800 cars which have a non-sequential gearbox that requires you to either drop RPM when you want to shift, or use the clutch.

I can’t control the car with the keyboard. Anything I can do? Even if we recommend using a force feedback steering wheel with this driving



simulator, netKar PRO supports keyboard control: You can switch from game controller to keyboard at any moment by pressing the K-key on your keyboard.

However, netKar PRO is optimized to be controlled by (force feedback) steering wheels, even though controlling the car by using the keyboard (arrow keys < & > to steer left and right and Spacebar & Ctrl to shift up and down) is possible.

When I close nkServer.exe, it always crashes. What can I do about it? Under Windows XP, nkServer.exe may crash when you try to close it by clicking the arrow. This does not happen when running Windows Vista.

To close nkServer.exe under Windows XP without error, you can use the key combination Ctrl+F1 to close the server.

I can’t see the framerate of the simulation. How can I view it? Press the key combination Shift+F to view the current framerate.

Can I customise the chat messages and topbar overlays? Yes, you can. The layout of the chat and topbar overlays are configurable in the file ‘overlays.ini’ . This file is located in the ‘cfg’ folder in the root folder of netKar PRO. Among others, you can configure the font, font color, font size and scroll speed and chat message visibility & duration.

Can I change the audio settings? Yes. The audio settings menu (‘Settings -> Audio’, see side) allows you to finetune the audio settings in the simulation.

The ‘master’ slider controls the overall sound volume. The ‘engine’ slider controls the volume of the engine of your own car.

The ‘net’ slider controls the engine sound of the other cars in multiplayer races. So, if you think other cars are too loud or too silent, change this slider.

You will also notice a wind sound as speeds increase and you can change the volume of this sound with the ‘wind’ slider. The ‘skids’ slider controls the volume of all skids coming from the tyres.

Finally, there is a slider called ‘extern’. This slider is responsible for the sound volume of all other external sounds, like the sound when riding on grass, gravel and curbstones.

I see a car flashing quickly during online races. What is going on? A flashing car means that a car is lagging during online racing. This means that a car has a not-optimal connection to the server. netKar PRO in that case makes the car



invisible, so this may lead to ‘flashing’ cars. When a car is invisible, it is also untouchable, so this means that you will not risk crashing into a lagging car. Of course, if you see a flashing car, it is wise to keep a bit of distance, because with internet lag it is difficult to predict where the car will be going.



IInnddeexx

A Activation - Avoiding problems, 7, 128 - Create a profile, 6-7, 128 - Activating an account, 9-12 - Requesting new activations, 13-15 - Retrieving license data, 15

AIM device - Turning AIM device on, 17 - Creating telemetry dump, 31-32 - Configuring telemetry channel settings, 31-32 - Switching view on AIM device, 17, 39-40 - Checking split times & best laptime on AIM device, 17, 39-40 - AIM device explanation, 17, 31-32, 39 - Telemetry analysis, 99-107 Audio settings - Configuring audio volume sliders, 135

B Batteries - Draining the battery, 3, 118, 130 Brakes - Brake balance setup setting, 47 - Brake balance controller configuration, 18-20 - Brake multiplier, 47

C

Car setup - Reference, 43-48 - Projected Aero CP, 47 - FOV, 48 Car skins - Creating car skins, 121-127 - Selecting car skins, 44, 126 - Using car skins in online racing, 127 Chatting - Writing a chat message, 70 - Customising the chat window, 135 Clutch - Configuration, 20 - Using the clutch to drive away, 36 - Auto-clutch setup option, 48 - Using the clutch to change gears, 134



Cockpit controls - Starting the car from inside the cockpit, 24-27 - Cockpit layout explanation, 16-17 Controllers - Configuration, 18-20 - Setting axis, 19 - Setting buttons, 19 - Multiple controllers, 20 - Keyboard controls, 134-135

D

Damage - Suspension damage, 117 - Wing damage, 62 - FullMode damage repair times, 63 - Repairing damage, 62, 63 - Automatic repair in waiting time, 55, 134 Data logger - Enable/disable data logger, 31, 101, 129 Dirty air effect - Explanation, 79-80 Dirty tyres - Explanation, 37-38, 128 Doom mode - Starting and stopping Doom mode, 22, 71, 117 - Walking in Doom mode, 22, 71 - Crouching in Doom mode, 22, 71 Doppler effect, 121

Driving aids - Lack of driving aids, 3, 134 Driving view - Changing driving views, 3, 134

E

Engine - Starting the engine, 24-27 - Engine damage, 37, 131 Entrylist - Entrylist in server configuration, 88-89, 94-95 Equipment - Creating equipment skins, 44, 126 - Selecting equipment skins, 44, 126



F

Firewall - Server firewall settings, 83 Flat spots - Flat spot effects, 3, 36-37, 80 - Avoiding flat spots, 36-37 - Changing tyres, 38, 44, 80, 131-132 Force feedback - Hardmode force feedback, 120 - Setup options, 48 Framerate - Enable framerate display, 23, 135 Fuel - Refuel times in FullMode, 38, 47, 60 - Determining required fuel load, 75-76

FullMode - Explanation, 3, 60 - Recognising a FullMode session, 65 - FullMode pitcrew damage repair time overview, 62-63 - FullMode pitcrew setup change time overview, 61 - Refuel time in FullMode, 38, 60 - READY IN countdown timer, 61, 63-64 - Loading a setup in FullMode, 64

H

Hardmode force feedback - Configuring Hardmode, 120

Head movements - Configuring head movement settings, 119-210

I

Inverted grid - Configuring inverted grids, 90

J

Join lag - Explanation, 71 - Avoiding join lag with transparent boxes, 71-72, 129

K

Keys - Hotkeys reference list, 21-23



Keyboard control - Activating and deactivating keyboard control, 134-135

L

Log files - Server log files, 95-96 Look left/right - Explanation, 77 - Look left/right controller configuration, 18-20

M

Mirrors - Resolution, 127 - Field of View, 127

Multiplayer racing - Concept, 49 - Multiplayer lobby, 55-59 - Multiplayer race structure, 53-55 - Multiplayer time monitor, 65-67 - Multiplayer race procedure, 74-76 - Start server, 95 - Stop server, 95

N

netKar PRO website - Requesting new activations, 13-15 - Retrieving your data, 15 - Download netKar PRO, 4 - Buy netKar PRO, 4

O

OpenAL - Enable and disable OpenAL sound API, 129-130 Overlays - TV overlay, 69-70 - Time monitor overlay, 65-67 - Configure overlays, 135

P

Pit board - Pit board information, 78-79 - Zooming in on pit board, 79 Pit lane position indicator - Explanation, 74, 80



Pit stops - Explanation, 80 - Pit stop strategy, 80 - FullMode refuel time, 60 Pits - Leaving the pits, 35 - Pitlane speed limit, 5, 36

Profile creation - Creating a profile, 7-10

R

Race start procedure - Waiting time, 55 - Lights procedure, 74-76 - Go to grid, 75 - Drive to grid, 75 Replay - Replay memory configuration, 52-53, 108 - Saving a replay, 108-109 - Loading a replay, 109-110 - Editing a replay, 112-114 - Replay hotkeys, 110-111 Requirements - System requirements, 128 RookieMode, 33

S

Server administration (in-game) - Become admin, 96 - Restarting a race, 98 - Move to next session, 98 Server configuration - Host Race dialog window, 83 - Upstream requirements and maximum amount of clients, 82 - Winner ballast, 90 - Waiting time, 87, 95 - Accepting new clients, 87 - Inverted grid, 90 - Loops, 89-90, 94 - Password protection, 85 - Administrator password, 85-86 - Registering a server to multiplayer lobby, 86 - Forcing tyres on a server, 91 - Multiport, 94 - Bandwidth, 84 - Server output, 96 - Maximum amount of clients, 85 - Multiple cars on one server, 93 - Creating an entry list for a server, 88-89 - Manual configuration in nkservercfg.ini, 92-95 - Starting and stopping nkServer.exe, 95



Server start/stop, 95 Setups - Saving a setup, 33-34 - Loading a setup, 34-35 - Setup explanation, 43-48 - FullMode setup pitcrew time, 61 - Loading setups in FullMode, 64 Shadows - Projected shadows, 51 - Simple shadows, 51 Slipstreaming, 79 Sounds - Configuring OpenAL sound engine, 120, 129-130 - Configuring audio volume sliders, 135 Starting the car - Car start procedure, 24-27 - Battery life, 3, 118, 130

Steering wheel - Disable and enable steering wheel, 17, 26 - Steer ratio, 47 - Track map on steering wheel, 35 Syncing - Syncing problems, 59

T

Telemetry - Create telemetry dump, 101 - Selecting telemetry data channels, 32 - Enabling telemetry logging, 31-32, 101 - Importing telemetry dump in AIM Race Analysis, 99-107 - Analysing telemetry in AIM Race Analysis, 99-107

Tyres - Changing tyres, 38, 44, 80, 131-132 - Selecting tyre type (F1600/F1800), 31, 118-119, 132 - Dirty tyres, 37-38, 128 - Tyre flat spotting, 3, 36-37, 80 - Preserving your tyres, 35-37 - Tyre temperatures, 44 Topbar - Explanation, 70-71 - Configuration, 135 - Toggling on/off, 71

Track Day - Track selection, 28 - Track Day test session, 28-29 - Track Day setup options, 43-48



TrackIR - Configuration, 77 - Operation, 77

Tracks - Track overview, 29 - Track map on steering wheel, 35

V

Video settings - Shadows, 51 - Anti-alias, 51 - Texture quality, 52 - Distance, 51 Visor - Cleaning your visor, 38-39

W

Waiting time - Concept, 55, 87 - Loading setups during waiting time, 64 - Configure waiting time > 0, 135 Winner ballast - Configuration & explanation, 90, 94



LLiinnkkss Official netKar PRO website

http://www.netkar-pro.com

AIM Sportline Race Analysis 2 download page http://www.aim-sportline.com/pages/download/section_software.php

netKar PRO Rank http://www.wagenvoort.net/rank

netKar PRO Skinning tutorial (by Julian Dyer) http://www.autosimsport.net/media/downloads/nkpskintutorial.zip

Online netKar PRO racing championship http://www.gpchampionship.com/gpcos

RaceSimCentral netKar PRO Community Forum http://forum.racesimcentral.com/forumdisplay.php?f=244

DrivingItalia.NET http://www.drivingitalia.net/

AutoSimSport http://www.autosimsport.net/

Community page with netKar PRO information http://finnro.fo.ohost.de

Many thanks to Alex Martini and AutoSimSport Magazine for reviewing and editing this manual.

Date post:	29-Dec-2014
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