Weekend Heroes Racing

💥 ℂ𝕠𝕝𝕥 𝕄𝕒𝕘𝕟𝕦𝕞 💥

From the ranches of Texas where hooves and horsepower make a combo of thunder and dust, comes the Sheriff of the Speedway, a rough rabble-rouser who demands respect: C**t Magnum.

With the mustache and presence of a town enforcer and a no-nonsense attitude to match, C**t Magnum’s mere existence screams “don’t start with me.” His gravelly voice showcases his steady diet of dust, grit and to***co. Stay out of his way and he’ll leave you alone.

C**t Magnum's mustache:
WeekendHeroesRacing.com/colt-magnum

Weekend Heroes Racing now fortified with 10% more grooviness!

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚂𝚞𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚒𝚜 𝙺𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙼𝚎 🔪
𝘣𝘺: 𝘙. 𝘉𝘢𝘶𝘮𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘳

Well, no, not really. Just couldn't resist using the title.

It is proving to be a bit more of a challenge than I expected however. The suspension and slight micro-movements of the vehicle are tricky to make look decent. It's either too jittery, or too bouncy, too this, too that. You might even say, "finicky". Fudging it with Perlin noise is certainly acceptable but it's taking longer than I'd like. It always seems like the easiest stuff turns out taking twice as long as it should but it's worth investing the time into because the end result is pretty sweet.

The earth is flat, but the shocking part is that it's only 256 meters wide! That's the tabletop width and it has nothing to do with what I'm talking about. The terrain, or more specifically the track, is mostly smooth. If it weren't the cars would be flying all over the place. The bumpiness is, like a round earth, just an illusion.

The body roll and pitch, however, are very real and are based on something we refer to as "physics". It is exaggerated just a bit of course because what fun is reality? Acceleration rocks the body back and deceleration pitches the body forward. Outward forces roll the body out just as you would expect. Making these things do what comes naturally isn't really trivial but it turns out that if you think about it long enough you can bang them out in a line or two of code by having things set up properly. Gotta get that relative velocity workin' hard for you early on. It comes in handy more often than not.

Meet BlackJack Rackham, a real-life rougarou of the racing world.

Born in the belly of a junkyard, this man's as tough as a gator's hide and fast as a crawfish in a bayou boil. He's a 1957 Chevy Bel Air of a man, roaring with power and spitting curses like a hot rod in its prime. He's got a beard that's seen more battles than the French Quarter on Mardi Gras, and eyes as blue as a moonless Louisiana night. This ain't no clean-cut city boy, y'all. BlackJack's as unpolished as a rusty nail, but when he hits that track, he's slicker than okra in gumbo.

So buckle up, cher, 'cause when BlackJack's on the track, it's like a wild ride through the swamp at midnight.

BlackJack's Junkyard:
WeekendHeroesRacing.com/blackjack-rackham

Foxy DeeLite is not what most people expect to see on the dirt oval. Then again, nobody saw the '70s comin' either. Dry your tears with those polyester threads before you go ramblin' on about "women ain't got no place on the track". She'll revisit that remark when she's through whippin' that b***y.

Spend some time with Downtown Foxy:
WeekendHeroesRacing.com/foxy-deelite

We've finally got our first sponsor! Now, if only the developer would quit marketing and get back to brogramming!

Special thanks to Jive Turkey's Restaurant for stepping up.

Today's racing enthusiast works, and plays, hard. And as such, he should enjoy spending his hard-earned leisure time with his most precious asset - his car. But that doesn't mean he can't invite the rest of the gang!

What better way to show those closest to you how much you care than by installing a garage in the family room? That's right! It isn't at all unusual to have a garage where the TV used to be. And if the front door isn't big enough? Well...let's just say that's what power tools are for.

Here we find dad, and some other people - probably his family, spending quality time with 'ol Bessy, rehashing tales of weekend glories from yesteryear. Young Billy dutifully devours not only his mush but also the well spun yarns of Dads gladiatorial triumphs and tragedies of the earthen coliseum. You see, he too imagines himself behind the wheel of his own weapon laden steel chariot one day just like his hero Dad. But right now I think young Billy is more eager for his drivers license than moms special apple pie!

And, sure enough good ole uncle Frank is like a stopwatch every Sunday evening for dinner. He may not be able to back out of the driveway without mowing down the mailbox but boy can he crack a hot one on those long trips!

Yes, this truly is the good life. Oh, and let's not forget about mom and sis, the real unsung heroes. With mom and sis serving not only as the pit crew by day but also serving up delicious dinners by night what more could a fella ask for?

WeekendHeroesRacing.com

Weekend Heroes Racing now fortified with 10% more grooviness!

From the Desk of Me (or the DevBlog)

Drafting

It did not escape my notice that nearly every car drafted another at the start of a race, which is probably a little impractical, but it really served the hole shot element nicely so I'm thinking about just leaving it. There's nothing like complete mayhem right off the bat to get into a race and spread those cars out a bit.
Some cars present themselves as better candidates for drafting than others do. The larger the vehicle the easier it should be for another car to find the slipstream.

One problem is that you want to simulate the drafter snuggling up behind the draftee but not running him over. This requires a step beyond simplicity because the force vectors in play invites the trailing car to slam into the back of it. Surely there must be a way to avoid this? Naturally the addition of an outward force vector from the draftee would do the trick but is it the best solution? As it turns out, I have no earthly idea but it's what I went with. Works well enough.

Rules of the Road

Allow me to enlighten you on the gentleman's agreement that is the Rules of the Road. If a gentleman wishes to engage in the art of drafting, it must be done within a reasonable range of speed. This is to prevent a wretchedly slow car from drafting behind a faster one after recovering from a recent collision.

The art of drafting can be employed only if the draftee is positioned within the draft range and the angle of deflection is not too great. A skilled driver will know when to initiate this technique and reap the rewards of reduced air resistance.

However, be warned, should a car lose control during a draft, the agreement shall be null and void. This will prove challenging for those who seek to maintain a draft at higher speeds. It's worth noting that cars with superior handling can enter into a draft much earlier than others, especially when coming out of a turn.

Rules and algogarhythms subject to change at my whim.

WeekendHeroesRacing.com

Junior

Junior ain't exactly easy on the eyes, or ears for that matter. Born into a mechanic's family, he learned the ropes early, and his knack for speed and mechanics led him to discover a passion for racing making him a beloved icon in the dirt track racing world.

Hold your nose:
WeekendHeroesRacing.com/junior

Weekend Heroes Racing now fortified with 10% more grooviness!