Live for speed
| Live for speed | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Blackwood stretch | |
| Erstveröffent- lichung |
July 2003 |
| platform | Windows |
| genre | Racing simulation |
| Game mode | Single player , multiplayer |
| medium | Download |
| language | English |
| Current version | 0.6R |
Live For Speed (LFS) is a realistic, multiplayer racing simulation that was released in July 2003. The first demo (0.04k) was put on the Internet in September 2002. On December 19, 2015, the long-announced version S3 (0.6k) was released. In S3, the Rockingham race track has been added to the usual tracks. Since patch U (April 29, 2006) the simulation has included the BMW Sauber F1 from the 2006 Formula 1 season.
LFS is expected to appear staggered in three parts. The first sales version Stage 1 (S1, v0.3) was released in July 2003. The Stage 2 version (S2, v0.5) was released on June 24, 2005. This was an alpha version that was not yet 100 percent completed. The developers decided to take this step because the work on S2 had taken significantly longer than expected and many players who had pre-ordered over a year ago were getting impatient.
The current version is currently S3 V-0.6R, which was published on January 28, 2017.
Live for Speed has gained a certain popularity in Germany through the work of ambitious members of the community , among other things through various presentations at the television station GIGA , organized leagues ( ESL Europe ) and demonstrations of the game at the Games Convention in Leipzig , the Cebit in Hanover and other smaller fairs . The support of fully mobile simulators, which is otherwise only found in professional simulations, contributes in particular to this.
Development method
The LFS development team, consisting of Scawen Roberts , Eric Bailey and Victor van Vlaardingen , has opted for a previously rather unusual form of software development and marketing: The three developers operate without any publisher and rely solely on word of mouth and word of mouth when marketing their game independent dissemination via the Internet.
The way these developers have taken in contact with their "customers" is viewed positively by the community, as a direct exchange of ideas and suggestions is possible at any time.
Among other things, it is possible to publicly discuss bugs and features in forums and thus have a certain influence on the development of the game. The feedback enables the developers to have direct customer contact, which they also experience comparatively often. In the meantime (more precisely since Patch U) it has been customary at LFS to make so-called test patches available to the community, which are replaced at irregular intervals (often on a daily basis) by further developments as well as errors reported by users in test operation and their corrections. The history of patch W goes back to a total of nine test patches (patch V1 to V9), while patch X was preceded by almost 50 test patches (up to test patch W47). The enormous number of patches is mainly due to the changes to the Live For Speed multiplayer system.
A disadvantage of the small development team became clear in the course of the development of LFS S2. The originally planned release date in summer 2004 could not be kept by a long way. Ultimately, an alpha version was released in June 2005. The finished release version is still a long time coming, but this does not detract from the realistic gaming fun. This is also due to the fact that LFS S2 is almost error-free despite its alpha status.
Activation system and costs
A special feature of Live for Speed is the activation system. After downloading the demo version, the game is fully playable with all functions, but the car selection is limited to three and the route selection is limited to one. The full range of functions as well as all cars and routes can only be used after online activation. With the one-time purchase of an S1 or S2 license, you can participate in all corresponding online games. In addition to the normal connection costs, there are no additional fees. A license upgrade to the next version costs half the license price.
The system used was completely self-programmed and is considered to be extremely secure. The activation system has already been bypassed for offline games, but no one has yet managed to play online without a license. Furthermore, LFS can only be purchased over the Internet, as the developers have decided to market it themselves.
Multiplayer & Community
One of the most important features of Live For Speed is its good accessibility and easy entry into online racing. Organized leagues like ESL Europe offer players the opportunity to measure themselves against each other and to compare best times. As a rule, there are numerous servers available with different routes on which up to 46 other drivers can be played. For newcomers, LFS sometimes has its own server, the experienced drivers usually cavort on a few servers, on which generally a very high speed close to the best times is driven.
There are also so-called racing teams, in which LFS enthusiasts have come together to form a community to drive together or simply to talk about the game or everyday things. Racing teams are a good stepping stone for beginners to keep up in the game, because better players can learn from them during training. Often there are team leagues or team events, whereby the performance of the team towards the individual is in the foreground.
Game characteristics
control
LFS can be optimally controlled with a force feedback steering wheel, which is expressly recommended by the developers, since, as in real motorsport , a smooth and controlled driving style is essential in order to be able to achieve the best times. Control via keyboard or, unusual in this genre, via mouse is also possible.
vehicles
In the S2 version, Live For Speed offers a selection of 20 different vehicles. These include both beginner-friendly models and vehicles that players need some experience to control successfully. The special thing about the vehicle selection is that it offers an extremely wide range of services compared to other racing simulations. The player can choose from a 55-hp small car to a 720-hp, faithfully modeled BMW-Sauber Formula 1 racing car. The BMW Sauber is, together with Formula BMW FB02 (FBM) (new since Patch Y), MRT5 and RaceAbout, one of four real vehicles included in Live for Speed. With all other vehicles, the similarity to real vehicles (e.g. Mini, Porsche 911 or Toyota Supra) cannot be denied, but the developers' imagination.
A special feature of the game is also the possibility of skinning your own vehicles: the vehicle paintwork can be customized with the help of a two-dimensional graphic skin. The self-created design is transmitted to other players in online racing. There are forums and homepages of their own that deal solely with LFS skinning.
For the upcoming version, the next vehicle with a real prototype is the new Volkswagen Scirocco . The otherwise abundant setup options are limited to those that can be accessed in real life without complicated modifications. As with the BMW-Sauber Formula 1, the developers here, in cooperation with Volkswagen, also access the relevant design data in order to achieve the most realistic possible driving behavior within the simulation. In addition, both exterior and interior largely correspond to the original; also on things such as B. the ESP is being worked on.
stretch
The current version contains seven route areas, with each area offering different route layouts that can also be traveled in the opposite direction. The game has a total of 49 track configurations.
In the S1 version of the game, three routes and a parking lot were made available to users. The three routes were Blackwood, South City, and Fern Bay. In its configuration, the Blackwood Grand Prix, the former is the most popular track among Live for Speed users. According to the statistics website lfsworld, over 412,000,000 kilometers were covered on this route (as of November 16, 2012); One of the reasons for this is that this route is part of the demo version.
Not only can vehicle setups be tested in the parking lot, but the function of external obstacles (e.g. to prevent short cuts in a chicane) can also be tried out.
In the S2 version, further, long routes followed. These were Aston, which is 8.8 km long in its longest configuration, Kyoto Ring, which has a trioval configuration, and Westhill.
In the overall assessment, Live for Speed has a wide range of different route configurations from short and very winding, over longer routes with a higher proportion of full throttle as well as various oval combinations. Due to the diversity of the different vehicles in connection with the corresponding setups, Live for Speed also offers sufficient long-term challenges for the players.
LFS InSim
With LFS InSim , developers can program server-side extensions. The system saves the game data in a database and evaluates it. A direct interaction between the database and the player is possible. In addition, game characteristics can be adjusted. The most important adjustments are: automatic punishment of players, display of texts or server-specific game results on the screen. LFS InSim enables server-specific statistics and player status. The InSim is mostly used for license point systems, in which the player has to work out a score before he can drive the next better car.
Especially on so-called cruise servers it becomes clear that the InSim opens up a further field of activity for players. Here, a certain virtual sum of money is transferred to the virtual account of a player for each meter driven, from which he can "buy" new vehicles. Delivery missions (e.g. for a pizza service) can also be accepted there, for which you get more or less money depending on the time required. There is also a police system there; This means that if a player has fulfilled certain requirements (e.g. 1000 kilometers driven and passed online training), he may paint his vehicle with a police paint and track speeders and ask them to pay.
Current stage of development
Live For Speed version 0.6R was released on January 28, 2017.
Web links
- Live for Speed at MobyGames (English)
- Official website
- www.lfsmanual.net - manual
- www.lfsworld.net - statistics page