SRP Version 0.9.4 PTB1 now in internal testing

Its been a long time in the making but we finally have enough thing half-finished to put together a public testing build! A lot has changed so lets go over the list:

Changes to the track name

We have made changes to the name of the track (and consequently the name of the track folder). The track has been renamed from shuto_revival_project_beta to shutoko_revival_project_094, where 094 corresponds to the version of the track and will change with every release. In more detail:

• Having the track's version number as part of the folder/track name will allow users to keep multiple different versions of the track installed in their systems at the same time. This prevents users from mixing old and new track versions. It also allows them to join online servers that run older versions of SRP, which is a common occurance as not every community is able to keep up to date with track releases. Older SRP versions will be kept on the SRP website for everyone to download and use.

• We dropped the "beta" from the track name. We feel that the "less than 1.0" version number is enough to show this is still a work in progress.

Changelog for the track itself

For those new to our release pipeline, this track version is what we call a "PTB", a public testing build, which includes our most recent work in its most up-to-date but still usable state. This means that a lot of scenery will be missing, gameplay bugs might still exist and everything is subject to change as we move through PTB versions towards the actual release of 0.9.4. Please keep that in mind when you use any of the PTB versions.

With all that said, lets see what is new on this version:

New Areas

• Added basic version of Yoyogi between Shibuya and Shinjuku (WIP)

• Added basic version of Aqualine (WIP)

• Added Hakozaki PA

• Added Oi PA Northbound

Visuals

• Added missing signs in Yokohane

• Repaired messed up overhead sign structure in Yokohane

• Straightened out a weirdly squiggly bit of road in Yokohane

• General touchup on a ton of very minor issues in Yokohane

• Fixed incorrect streetlight distant emissive settings for Mirai and Shinjuku

• Updated details in Oi PA Southbound

• Many material and UV mapping fixes on buildings in Bayshore & Yokohane

• Some Bayshore tunnels got upgraded wall materials. Some minor model changes were also made

• Belt line got some more red road sections

• Added lighting to some POIs

• Fake interior lights shader for most buildings

Gameplay

• Heiwajima tollbooths corrected from 4 lanes to 6 lanes.

• Daishi tollbooths corrected from 4 lanes to 5 lanes.

• Bayshore Southbound tollbooths corrected from 4 to 5 lanes.

This means lanes are now tighter

• Daishi PA has additional barriers, forcing you to go trough the tollbooth, before reversing into the parking area, like IRL

• Smoothed unrealistic kink in Edobashi which could cause cars to get air

• Physical mesh has been remade to be more consitent across the whole map

Performance

• Merged common signs in Yokohane

• Redistributed models across Shinjuku, Shibuya and Yoyogi. Shinjuku and Shibuya now have seperate kn5s. Shinjuku Crossing area has been merged with Shibuya route. New LODs on these areas.

• Redid LODs for all areas. Might cause popping

• Split C1 into chunks, optimised for performance

As you can see, two new areas and two new parking areas have been added, increasing the drivable area of the track.

• Yoyogi area: A group of non-expressway roads connecting Shibuya Crossing to Yoyogi Parking Area on the Shinjuku route. We hope the city streets will be a refreshing change from high speed expressway driving and perhaps enjoyable to drift through... In terms of development, there still is a lot to be done in this area, mainly regarding buildings and scenery. There are some bland areas that will be populated in future builds.

• Tokyo Wan-Aqualine: A piece of expressway connecting the Bayshore route to the other side of the Tokyo Bay via an underwater tunnel which tansitions into a bridge. An artificial island with a parking area called Umihotaru PA lies at the transition point. The SRP version will eventually cross the bay but for now, only the junction and the majority of the tunnel is modelled, with the PA, bridge and most details missing. While the inclusion of the PA is not certain due to the lack of data, the rest of Aqualine will be updated to the usual SRP standards in subsequent builds.

  • Also part of the Aqualine expansion is Route K6 which connects the Bayshore/Aqualine route junction to Daishi PA on the Yokohane route. As the K6 route was still not complete during the years SRP replicates, the final connection to Yokohane will be done through street level roads. We will talk more about this project when its being actively worked on but you will be able to travel down the completed part of K6 in this upcoming PTB.

• Hakozaki PA: A parking area situated on Route 6, close to C1 expressway. This area was created by the amazing team of 90sGDSP and donated to SRP. We cannot thank them enough for their contribution. Please show them your love here. If you love touge and drifting, they have fantastic AC content for you to check out. We have reworked some aspects of the PA to integrate it to the SRP map and we'll be making some more tweaks to it to bring it closer to the time period SRP replicates in future builds.

• Oi PA Northbound: Many of you will be familiar with the small rest area on the Bayshore route, on the left side just after you pass the first tunnel coming from Tatsumi/Odaiba, heading south. That is Oi PA Southbound. The northbound direction of travel in that location is dominated by a large toll station instead. It turns out, there was actually a northbound Oi PA. The catch? It only existed for a few years, from 2005 to 2012, before being relocated, along with its southbound equivalent, to a position further down Bayshore in order to make room for an expansion at Oi Junction. An entire PA not being were we expected made us think it just didnt exist during SRP's time period! Anyway, we've added it now!

In addition, many fixes for existing issues have been done and new details have been added to existing areas. At the same time, performance was tweaked to maximise the use of CSP's "chunks loading" feature. Our testing shows promising improvements in performance over the previous track version.

So, when is it releasing?

Best case scenario, we are still weeks away from a public release. Lets be honest, we arent the best at hitting deadlines. Testing has just started but a few issues have been found already. Its best that we catch these now, before users have access. So please hold on just a little longer.

As always, thank you for your support and patience!