March HSS Progress Update (Patreon)

Reminder to switch to the $5 tier!
Remember, if you are at a tier below $5 you will need to switch to the $5 tier to retain access to Discord, the online server, and of course to get the upcoming racetracks we are working on.

The HSS Online race tomorrow!
The first HSS online championship is going to be held tomorrow at 9am PST (noon EST & 6pm CET). Please register in the HSS discord online channel, and the links to the tracks can be found there as well.

1. 1923 Sitges
2. 1907 Brooklands Mountain
3. 1910 Atlanta Speedway

The points system will be as follows (based loosely on the scoring systems of the time, but simplified):

50 points for 1st
25 points for 2nd
15 points for 3rd
10 points for 4th
7 points for 5th
5 points for 6th
4 points for 7th
3 points for 8th
2 points for 9th
1 point for 10th

I will also be online tonight if enough people are interested. From 10pm PST to 11pm PST (7am CET to 8am CET). Just message me in the HSS discord online channel and we can set something up.

Custom Handcrafted LODs:
We are going to be creating handcrafted LODs for each project moving forward, this will allow them to be better detailed while still providing the computer performance benefits that everyone expects. This has been the biggest reason why the 1906 Renault AK GP car has been delayed from its 1.0 public release, as we are still working out the kinks. Once we develop a workable and repeatable method we plan to also release the 1915 Ford Model T Speedster in short order too.

1902 Ford 999:
This project is nearing completion, and we are just working on reducing Poly counts and getting it optimized best for PC performance. The car has a lot of details that are exposed, such as the intricate radiator. We are working on keeping as many details as possible. This should be a very unique car for AC, although it is comparable in speed to the 1906/1907 racecars which should allow it to be raced with those cars and expand that field of competitors.

1906-1907 Racing:
As mentioned, we are finalizing the 1906 Renault AK GP for its 1.0 public release. Additionally, the 1906 Itala 35/40 will be releasing next month (based on the results of the Champion’s vote for this month). That car won the initial 1906 Targa Florio, and I think is an absolute legend that we are proud to digitally recreate. Of additional note, the updated 3d model for the 1907 Itala 36/45 has been finished and updated to be included into AC. I plan to release the updated car sometime next month. In total this will give a total of five 1906-1907 racecars. I do want to revisit the 1906 Locomobile. I hope to add rework the 3d model to add some details, as I feel it doesn’t quite match up to the details on the 1906 Renault AK GP car.

1915 Ford Model T Speedster:
This car is pretty much done, but we do need to fix a minor AO map tear (affecting the paint) behind the seat of the driver. Once this is completed we will add the LODs and the finalize the model in preparation for its 1.0 release in the next couple of months. This weekend we will be using the car to race in the inaugural HSS Online Championship event, so I’m looking forward to racing it out with some of you.

1924-1929 Grand Prix:
This is one of those projects that I didn’t see becoming one of my favorites but I have a lot of awesome plans for these years. We have a lot of cars in the works, and I'll have a more detailed post following up next week.

1931 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300:
The 3d model is in development as promised (roughly 20% completed).

1932 Indycar
The 1932 HSS Indy Custom is finished and in the game. I will be doing some work on the car later this month to get the physics in a good place, but its nice to be able to reference a lot of the same code from the 1932 Studebaker. I am happy to hear that everyone is enjoying the Studebaker, and we are currently working on some optimizations to the 3d model to improve PC performance.

1934-1935 Grand Prix:
I am going to be working on the 1934 cars extensively next week. Refining some of the physics details. There are also additional skins coming for the 1934 Maserati 8CM. The 1934 Auto Union Type A has had some severe issues with the suspension, this has reset the development back to the 3d modeling stage for some adjustments to the suspension. We are also taking the opportunity to make the 1935 Auto Union Type B as well. Once I have completed the 1934 physics set, I will update the physics I have already crafted for the 1935 season, and then make the slight changes in performance for the 1935 season.

1937 Mercedes W25 Streamliner:
I will be working on the physics for the 1937 W25 Streamliner next week as well, as it shares a lot of parts from the 1934 Mercedes W25 it makes sense to do it along with that car. I hope to have a substantial update for this car before the month is out.

1937 Delahaye 135C:
This car is currently on hold while we focus on other projects. The 3d modeling is near completion and I expect we will finish it sometime later in April. It should be an awesome car to pair against Nicecuppatea’s Bugatti Tank at Le Mans.

1950 Aston Martin DB2:

This car is in the 3d modeling stage (approximately 40% completed).

1957 HSS GP:
This car is over a year old, and was from a prior contract project we did for an AC Pro client. We now have permission to bring this car to AC as well. This car’s 3d model is being reworked for optimal PC performance and to add a few details. I expect we will begin importing the car in late April or early May.

1958 Lotus 16:
I’m not totally happy with the Lotus 16’s physics, although significant improvement was made from the initial early access release. I hope to get to this one next week, but more likely I’ll be working on it early next month. Once I do dive back in, I plan to work on it until its completely finished. So it could end up being at least a two week process where I go back over every aspect of the physics.

1965 HSS GT:

This is another project we made over a year ago for an AC Pro client of ours and we now will be bringing this car to AC, just like the 1957 HSS GP car. I expect we will begin importing this car sometime in May.

1965 Ford GT40:

This was a project we only recently got involved with, but as we have been involved with Bazza concerning the 1969 Porsche 917 cars we made, this was another opportunity to contribute to one of his upcoming packs.

1968 Japanese Endurance:
Next month the 1968 Daihatsu P-5 will be released into early access. In total we have the 1968 Nissan R381, the 1968 Isuzu Bellett R, the two versions of the 1968 Toyota 415S, and obviously the Diahatsu P-5 too. This should be one of the more unique 1960s Racing Packs. We are working in collaboration with a driver who raced in the 1968 Japanese GP event and also the one of the largest Japanese auto museums to make sure these cars drive as close to the real cars as we can with the AC physics engine.

1969 Porsche 917 Shorttail & Longtail:
These cars are currently part of the late 1960s Prototype pack in development by Bazza. I am looking forward to some great things with these awesome prototypes in development.

1970 Formula 1:
The 1970 Ferrari 312B is well along in its development, and it is a wonderful car to drive. Its a wonderful car to pair with RSS’s 1970s F1 car. We have now begun working on the 3d model for the 1970 BRM P153 which will be the next 1970 F1 car we are going to produce.

1972 Indycar:
The 1972 McLaren M16B is progressing wonderfully. I’m not sure how exactly I want to complete the rest of the 1972 season, but I expect there will be a paid pack at some point in addition to at least one other 1972 car developed with the help of your patreon support. Obviously another huge thing we want to do with this pack is the 1972 tracks.

1973 WSCC Endurance:

We are developing two cars that competed in the 1973 WSCC endurance championship. That is the 1973 Matra MS670 and the 1973 Porsche RSR 3.0L. I’ve included some photos of the progress on the 3d model for the 1973 Porsche RSR 3.0L. This project is in an early stage, and it will be several months before anything is ready for AC. Also, remember that we have the 1973 Targa Florio pack that will be released next year. That pack will include at least 3 cars. So we should have a nice collection of 5 awesome WSCC from 1973 to race against. I’m personally excited for the opportunities at the awesome Targa Florio track being developed by Abulzz.

HSS Racetracks:
The 1972 Milwaukee, Pocono, & Michigan tracks are still in an early stage, right now we are ironing out the workflow and other features. As soon as I have some pictures they will be posted in the track discord channel, and of course I expect to have a much more detailed update for next month. I can also announce that we will be developing a 1972 version of Indianapolis as well.

The 1994 North Wilksboro Speedway is well underway, as you can see the tarmac has been laid. We are referencing Lidar data and extensive survey data from a source who worked for the US government for decades and has access to 1,000s of details from the tracks past, which we will use to also make the 1966 and 1954 versions of the track. I believe that this track will end up being the most detailed, accurate, and best oval track ever made for Assetto Corsa, that is the goal at least.

Contract Projects & Paid Packs:
As I promised, we have not been taking on very many contract projects right now. I have brought on a few clients, such as the one from the Nebraska trip I just took, but we will not begin working on those projects until later this summer. This will give us the time to focus on the Blitzen Beasts pack and the 1916 American Champions pack for the next 2-3 months and get them finished and pushed out to the public in the next 6 months.

Historic Sim Studios YouTube Channel:
Checkout the new HSS YouTube Channel here https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNdelw44RvCqXnecxbSpblg

We are looking to build up the HSS YouTube team, right now we are paying $25 a video. If you are a huge HSS fan and enjoy taking photos and shots of the cars, this might be something fun for you! We are looking for two types of videos currently. 1 minute highlight videos/trailers and 5-10 minute long spotlight videos showcasing/discussing unique features or history concerning the various HSS mods.

Conclusion:
As always, feel free to message me here on Patreon, at my discord account, or send me an email to daniel@historicsimstudios.com if you have any questions or would like to join the HSS YouTube team! Thanks so much for your support on this awesome journey!