• front
    (simulated screenshot)

    BATracer: Next Gen Race Management Game

    A fresh beginning, the journey to a new version of BATracer starts here.

    Explore Concepts
  • front
    (simulated screenshot)

    PROJECT STATUS:
    PRE ALPHA / CONCEPTUAL

    Get on board now to have a big say in what direction the game takes. Big rewards for early adopters, scroll down for more information.

    Supporters

As the author of BATracer, I have developed and ran the game on a part-time basis over a number of years. The one thing that has prevented me from working on the game further has been time, but I'm now at a crossroads and in a position where I have two choices:

1) Take on another IT contract.
2) Build an all-new version of BATracer.

I know which of the two the community would choose, but the more attractive option to the gamers sadly isn't possible without money. Whereas regular IT work will provide guaranteed money, developing a game takes time - during which bills need to be paid and such like. By contrast, the original version of BATracer was wrote what seems like a lifetime ago... a distant 13 years when development costs and time were cheap.
(i.e. living with parents!)

BATracer has an enduring game mechanic and it's longevity is a reflection that the game format works. However, it is time for the game to be modernized and combining modern platforms and computing power with the original addictive elements of the game are likely to ensure success of the new product.

The Next-Gen Concept.

As a bare minimum, we want to introduce the following features:

Feature Icon

SUPPORT FOR MOBILE

The original version of BATracer intended to be accessible to as many people as possible - and the best method at the time was through the browser. However, now mobile devices (phones and tablets) are so common that anybody can connect at almost any time. So the new version will support both desktop and mobile clients, and draw in many new players via app stores. Ditching the browser allows us to avoid the issues with browser-specific problems which hinder development, and gives us access to powerful GPU processors.

Feature Icon

INDEPENDENT CARSETS

We intend to have carsets hosted off-site, outside the hands of the publisher (us). This will bring two significant benefits - firstly, that carset makers can develop and release their carsets independent of us, so no more bottle necks waiting for carsets to be released. Secondly, any liability for copyrighted material no longer lies with us as we won't host the content and have no control what carsets contain.

Feature Icon

REVISED GAME JOINING

When joining a game players will simply list what teams they want to join in order of preference. When the sign-up is complete, the server will then allocate drivers to their first choices. In the instance of several drivers wanting the same team, the player who has not driven that car for the longest duration of time secures the drive, or in the event of a tie there will be a random draw. This way, the time when you join a game will no longer have any relevance whatsoever. Private games may employ their own game joining mechanism.

UPDATE 1: Following a suggestion from the community, we will allow players to team-up prior to joining a game, eliminating the need to be online at the same time. In this role the teaming players will not be able to pick their preferred cars as this will be automatically delegated to the team leader.

UPDATE 2: During the car allocation process players will be able to see commentary explaining how each driver was allocated to each car.

Feature Icon

ALL NEW QUALIFYING

Qualifying will now take place within the "race" game engine, a much requested feature! This will make qualifying a more interesting part of the game. If Project Level Two or Level Three are selected (see below), very accurate simulation of each cars position on track will potentially influence a lap time and make traffic more interesting.

Feature Icon

NEW CAR SETUP PROCESS

Instead of spreadsheet data being used to collect ranged data and giving certain players advantages, it will now be assumed that most teams which turn up at an event already have knowledge about where a good setup will lie. Whilst gameplay will still involve dialling in a setup, parameters will have greater relevance to the car performance (particularly in Projects Level Two/Three, see below). As an example, slackening off wings may make a car slower overall but boost overtaking potential along straights. Players will be presented with tools to allow them to see and predict this behavior rather than having to use trial and error. So now you can adjust setup according to your race strategy or where you qualified!

Feature Icon

NO MORE GAME QUEUES

It is very frustrating when carsets are not available to play all of the time. So now if a player wants to take part in a certain carset they simply create a new game of that type (unless a similar game is already waiting). The game then goes into a holding area where other players can express their interest and wait for a full grid. Crucially game joining will not complete until the game starts, so players do not lose a slot and can even quit the game before the first race.

Feature Icon

OFFSITE WR CALCULATION

There has been much debate about how best to calculate a WR - it's a very subjective topic as different players place different emphasis on different stats. Thus, from this version of the game forward, BATracer will only hold statistics for each player. These will be published to the cloud every 24 hours and can be downloaded by anybody. Third parties can then process this data and publish their own WR calculation or analysis, which could then be sent back to BATracer having registered for a security key to prevent false WR values.

Feature Icon

NEW USER INTERFACE

Because we are developing new mobile and desktop clients and free of the browser, we now have a clean sheet to develop a user interface suitable for the game. We want to maintain the ability to present ordered data (such as results time sheets, etc.) but also have a much more efficient way to modify your settings both quickly and accurately. The solution will cater for both touch, mouse and keyboard inputs from the outset - whereas the older version was originally based around mouse input only and limited by what was possible within a browser.

Feature Icon

CREDITS SYSTEM

The original game had the ability to buy Kool Tools, Constructors as well as Tokens. The new game will be based around one simple system of Credits, which can then be spent on things such as game slots and the ability to pick bonus features individually rather than having to buy them all as with Kool Tools. We also have want customisation features such as a "Turismo" mode of play (see right), custom transporters and motorhomes which you take to your races, even your own circuit and motorsport technology centre which can be designed and styled according to taste. Some players may be concerned about this shift to a credits system but the traditional gameplay will not be influenced and we intend to keep the pricing as fair as Kool Tools (i.e. no advantage is provided). Lastly, there is the possibility to earn free credits through race wins!

Feature Icon

TURISMO MODE

We would like to experiment with a Turismo mode. This is a special type of carset inspired by Gran Turismo in which you buy and upgrade cars then enter them into one-off races setup by other players. It's quite a different experience to the usual historically accurate carsets, but does introduce a unique and personal way to approach races and the route to victory. This is a bonus gameplay mode and doesn't replace any part of the regular game, and can be entirely avoided if preferred.

Feature Icon

REAL TIME PLAY

(In addition to traditional BATracer gameplay)
The current version of BATracer is excellent for easily getting players together for championship battles spread over a period of roughly 4 weeks. However, the ability to sit down for single races in an evening and battle it out lap after lap would represent a whole new mode of play. Imagine reacting to safety cars on your command, handling rain showers from one lap to the next, or pushing hard and backing off as race situations or car health dictates. All live, during the race. Only available in Projects Level Two or Level Three.

Feature Icon

MULTI-DIMENSIONAL SIMULATION AND HYPER-SIMULATION

Project Level Two and Three introduce Multi-Dimensional Simulation. The traditional version of BATracer uses single-dimensional simulation. This is fine but doesn't simulate back marker traffic and makes safety cars something of an approximation. Multi-dimensional simulation solves both of these problems. Hyper-simulation is available in Level Three and something I often want to introduce after watching real grand prix races. It consists of a whole bunch of scripts (potentially user-codeable) that define real-world events that have occurred in real racing but rarely simulated in games. Anything from tire walls having to be rebuilt and extending a safety car period to rare events such as accidents in the pitlane or even bizarre events such as kerbs being uprooted, animals or protestors getting onto the track, etc.

Feature Icon

EXPLANATIONS!

Some players had a hard time dealing with sudden retirements or other misfortunes in the game, finding it hard to find answers. Race replays will now give far more information - and in many cases prior warning - to let a player know when their settings are courting disaster. In live real-time races the player will get the opportunity to ease off if necessary, or to continue to push for a few risky laps.

Feature Icon

NASCAR AND MOTOGP

Although anybody can make a carset for the game - of any content - a special mention is made here since limits in the old game made complex or special sets a problem (the original LMES set pushed things to the limit). The new game will have a much more open ended structure which will not limit creativity, making sets such as NASCAR or MotoGP a genuine possibility - it's all in the hands of the carset makers!

Feature Icon

IMPROVED SERVERS

Where appropriate we will be taking advantage of cloud computing to handle variable user loads. This will improve both reliability and speed. Storage and retrieval of all archived races will now also become a practical reality. Lastly, the introduction of realtime races (Lvl2/3) will make it necessary to isolate each game to a separate process - thus further boosting reliability (failure in one game will not influence the other players on the network).

Feature Icon

NEW WEATHER MODEL

The original BATracer weather model made for some thrilling races when the weather changed. We plan to build on this but give better forecasts so players can plan ahead better. In real time races (Lvl 2/3) players will be able to react to the weather as it develops. The weather itself will be more complex, with rainfall and track surface moisture now modelled differently (so no more tracks drying in about 4 laps from monsoon to bone dry!). For the Level 3 concept, we will also model wind and air temperature which will introduce subtle changes which the best players may exploit.

Feature Icon

MULTILINGUAL SUPPORT

The game client software menus and user interface will be multi-lingual, making the game easier to play for those from non-English speaking countries. Any player will be able to provide a language translation from a prompt sheet. Ironically the original version of BATracer had multilingual support from the outset but was removed in the false belief it wasn't necessary, so it will be great to see this functionality restored.

Feature Icon

BLOCK AWOLERS
BAN GRIEFERS

The new game will feature a much-requested feature... block lists, or the ability to ignore a player. Going further than just hiding their comments or preventing them from posting on your profile, you can actually use the feature for that other type of player: the serial AWOL'er. Now you will never risk having to team with such a creature again. A positive offshoot is that the worst players will have to clean up their act or fast find they can't find a drive.

Feature Icon

TRACK BUILDING

Projects Level Two and Level three of the game will include a track editor as a necessity, indeed the developer is quite keen to bring forward existing terrain handling code. It's not inconceivable that we could take this further and make it a future gameplay feature at some point, with players able to build, own and manage their own tracks which are then raced on by other players. Whilst this extends beyond the original game concept I'm aware of how many of us have "fantasy" tracks often based on our neighborhood!

Feature Icon

TEAM CONTROL

BATracer has always put emphasis on controlling just one car, acting as the driver in a team. However, the new much more flexible nature of the game allows players to setup private games where you control a single team (i.e. both cars). Carsets with additional gameplay features could go further and allow a player to control the team management - with further players taking the role of drivers - making for a true team effort! This will be particularly entertaining in real time races benefitting from lively team chat.

Feature Icon

CARRY FORWARD LEGACY HISTORY

Following a suggestion from a player, we will allow long-standing players to carry forward their old BATracer account history and display it on your new profile. Because the new game will be so different from the last, this will be a separate isolated data sheet from the main profile, but will give great kudos to the grand masters of the game. Hell, let's even give these guys a special logo!

NOTE: You will be only able to carry forward the legacy history to your new profile if you have paid enough to cover the $20 per KT account. This is to encourage people to provide financial support to the project at this stage and is another bonus to those that support us! Since you're paying for this service, we won't carry forward any negative information such as sackings or AWOLs, etc.

Feature Icon

PRIVATE GAME WIZARDRY

The same flexibility that carset makers have will be accessible to players setting up private games and leagues. From the outset expect custom championship calendars and circuits, but also hand pick cars from different carsets. Want a custom championship using F1 and Indycars on Swedish national circuits? You got it!

Let the community decide!

Three different concepts have been drawn up, each adding more to the game but involving greater work. Since the new game is funded by the players, they should decide what they want to see in the game!

  • desktop
  • desktop

Project Level One

This introduces all of the features outlined above (except those indicated to fit Level Two / Three projects). The cornerstone of this project is the introduction of independent carsets - BATracer now focuses itself as a simulation engine with others providing whatever content they wish. This, together with the move to mobile/desktop clients dictates the need to rebuild the game from the ground up.

4 months work.

Summary
Hub

Project Level Two

The next level of development is to push for a multi-dimensional simulation, which essentially changes the world in which the simulated racing cars operate. Not only does this bring more detail in the races and simulation of things such as back markers, debris placement and much-improved safety car behavior, but real time races now become possible (in addition to the existing championship mode of play) for an entirely different mode of play - essentially giving you two games in one! The traditional championship races will also benefit by having race replays which can be stepped through moment by moment, rather than lap by lap.

Because Level One already required the need to rewrite the game from the ground up, there isn't a great deal of additional work necessary. Server race code will have to be revised and carset makers will have to provide more detailed track maps (via an editor) in which cars can interact in real time.

6 months work.

Summary
Hub
  • desktop
  • desktop
  • desktop
(simulated screenshot)
  • desktop
  • desktop
  • desktop
(simulated screenshot)

Project Level Three

This is the ultimate and definitive version of BATracer, and quite possibly the ultimate race strategy game. Building on Level Two's multi-dimensional simulation, Level Three introduces a three-dimensional display in which to render the race events in unprecedented detail - regardless of if the player is taking part in a real time or traditional championship race.

In addition, as part of Level Three we want to capitalise on this living, breathing world by introducing hyper-simulation. Rather than just focus on cars lapping a circuit in a rather clinical or surgical world, scripts can control a broad spectrum of entities in the game, some of which are cosmetic, others having effects in the race. In many ways players will be experiencing a TV sports programme in which they have influence over.

Level Three uses the same rendering code as Level Two, so this isn't as huge a step as some might think. Indeed in some ways the full three dimensions makes certain things easier!

The developer has extensive experience working in 3d.

8 months work.

Summary
Hub
 

Access the BATracer Next-Gen hub to be able to pledge, vote and turn your existing Kool Tools accounts into credits.

Hub

What now? Pledges

Rather than looking for money immediately we have decided to get an idea of who is interested in the new game via pledges. If enough pledges are received for the project to be committed to, supporters will then be able to honour their pledges by making payments. Both pledges and honoured pledges will be tracked and shown online so everybody can see the progress of funding.

If we do not get enough pledges we will not ask supporters to honour them, so there is no risk to pledge money at this stage. Making a pledge gives us vital information on how much support there is available.

Big Rewards for Early Supporters

It's realized that supporting a project early on may be seen as risky, and also the fact that the game cannot be played until some time after money has changed hands. To make this more appealing the following benefits are secure for early adopters:

critic
Access to the closed alpha and beta versions. Get access to the game and a head start before anybody else. Without supporter benefits no amount of begging will get you into the preview releases!
critic
Your financial support will be turned into in game credits, the currency which will be used in the completed version of the game. Early supporters will get a 200% credit boost for any funds that are paid. For instance, if $20 gets you 5,500 credits normally, then you would be rewarded with a generous 11,000 credits. Or putting it another way, it would cost you $40 for the same number of credits later.
critic
Access to the Kool Tools loyalty discount (see below). This is ONLY available to those that support the game at this phase of development, thereafter you will not be able to carry your Kool Tools purchases forward.
critic
Once we commit to development, only supporters get access to the development forum, able to comment and provide feedback as the game develops and be in a position to shape the new games behavior.
critic
As an added bonus to those that have provided enough financial support to cover their Kool Tools account(s), we will carry forward their profile history to their new profile (only the best bits, no AWOL data or anything like that!). This will be the only way to show the new BATracer world you're a legend that played the first version of the game!


For those that provide the largest financial support we will also provide the following:

critic
For the top 10 financial supporters, your name listed prominently on the game splash screen (both desktop and mobile versions). This screen will always be shown during startup.
critic
For the next 40 supporters, your name will be shown in smaller text.
critic
Testing priority based on your financial input. E.g. If you provided the 57th highest donation you will be the 57th person invited to the game. The supporters Hub interface will show where you are ranked.
critic
Lastly, it stands to reason that early supporters get the biggest say in development decisions!


Project Level One

£4800 (approx. $7000)

4 months

  • All of the Level One next gen features laid out above (mobile, independent carsets, game joining, etc.)
  • Traditional BATracer graphics within a new interface
  • Single-dimension Simulation
  • Traditional races


Project Level Two

£7200 (approx. $10900)

6 months

  • All of the Level One features, plus...
  • New 2d animated graphics and race environment
  • Multi-dimensional Simulation
  • Realtime and traditional races


Project Level Three

£9600 (approx. $14500)

8 months

(editor available within 8 weeks)
  • The ultimate motorsport simulation, featuring all Level Two features plus...
  • 3d animated graphics
    +Realistic detailed tracks
  • Multi-dimensional simulation
    +Hyper-Simulation
  • Realtime and traditional races

Got Questions? Good, because we've got answers!

This simple FAQ will be added to as time develops, but for all other questions see the official Next Gen forum or contact Jules in game.

 Which mobile platform?

We will definitely support Apple's iOS and Google's Android operating system. Later, there is a very real possibility of extending support to Windows RT and Windows Phone 8 from the outset, and Blackberry 10 if there is sufficient demand.

 Are the dev costs fair?

Given the forecast time periods a figure of £1200GBP/month has been made (this rate is less than working on a cash till at the country store). The sum is to cover rent, local government rates, energy bills, food - essentially the cost of living during the period of development. The total sum is kept as low as possible to keep the costs realistically attainable to supporters, but are not set in stone.

 Browser support?

Due to the rise of mobile, we are moving the game away from the browser. In the past browser gaming was a great way to allow people to take part at any time during the day, at home, work, college - essentially any place there was a public computer. Mobile allows players to login anywhere - and we can represent the game with much more power than we are limited to with HTML. We may still provide a browser plug-in if there is sufficient demand.

 Failure to fund?

In the event that there isn't enough money to fund the project, we will look at other options. e.g. Maybe a Level One project is possible to then be used as a self-funding stepping stone for Level Three, if that proves the most popular concept. Another option is to use a restricted funding budget to develop enough of the game to be able to launch a Kickstarter campaign.

In any case it is expected that as development progresses with new screenshots momentum will build and bring forward more supporters.

 How can we get involved?

As well as letting players decide the direction of the game, supporters will be able to provide feedback through an online discussion forum as progress is made as well as receive regular updates through a developers blog.

Later, carset makers will be able to decide on the actual content of the game through a variety of tools.

 What about desktop?

Not everybody wants to (or is able to) play via their phone or tablet, which is why we are making the game available on desktop too. Desktop gives us extra headroom in terms of processing power and memory, so certainly in the Level Three concept of the game you can expect a very rich visual treat.

We will support Windows, Mac and Linux (yes, Linux!) from the outset. We also hope to support Windows RT (Microsoft Surface devices, etc.). The large number of supportable platforms is made possible by the high standard of cross platform tools available to developers in 2013.

 What about KickStarter?

I have monitored Kickstarter for a while and noticed successful projects often are near completion with lots of screenshots to show (or tend to trade on the name of a famous developer or product franchise - it's ironic that these developers more often than not do not actually need the cash to develop a game!).

The games that do less well tend to have little to show up front other than some concept sketches. Whilst Kickstarter may be an option in the future when we have more to show, at present the new version of BATracer will be a clean sheet design for a product appealing to a niche audience. For this reason we first look to the existing customers of the game to see how much enthusiasm there is for a new product.

 Is my money safe?

Initially no money will change hands, only pledges can be made at which point we will make a decision if we wish to proceed with gathering funds.

 System requirements?

There is some concern from players regarding minimum system requirements, since we are moving away from the browser and toward client software. But relax! Since we are developing a mobile version we expect a high level of scalability - the system requirements will be suitably low for desktop, even if you just have an old, cheap laptop with an integrated graphics chip. You won't need the latest, greatest mobile/tablet device either - previous generation devices should work a treat.

Are there any incentives for Kool Tools players?

Yes! You can carry forward 100% of any of your Kool Tools purchases as credits into the new game, together with an equivalent donation.
For each account covered we will also carry forward your old account history to your new profile...
...this will be the only way for players to see you played the original version of the game!

Study the key points and examples below:

critic
To carry forward your Kool Tools account, you need to donate a minimum of $20 toward the new game. On that $20 you will receive the usual 200% credits bonus, plus the credits from the Kool Tools account (equivalent to $20 per account, or $30 for an account with Constructors).
critic
The offer is only available during this initial first phase of funding. Thereafter, no Kool Tools accounts can be credited into the next game.
critic
Example 1 (assuming $1=75 credits): Russell donates $40 to the new game and has one Kool Tools account with Constructors. For his $40 he gets 3,000 credits, but this is doubled to 6,000 credits as an early supporter. He carries forward his KT+CT account which is worth 2,250 credits making a total of 8,250. To acquire the same number of credits later it would have cost him $110!
critic
Example 2: Marcel donates $90 to the new game and has 5 accounts, one with Constructors. His $100 is worth 6,750 credits but these are doubled to 13,500 as an early supporter. With his $90 he can carry forward 4 of his 5 accounts, and is able to include his Constructors account. These bring his total credit haul to 20,250 credits, worth the equivalent of $270.