''netKar Pro'' (also stylized as ''nKPro'') is an

online In computer technology and telecommunications, online indicates a state of connectivity and offline indicates a disconnected state. In modern terminology, this usually refers to an Internet connection, but (especially when expressed "on line" or ...

racing simulator Simulated racing or racing simulation, commonly known as simply sim racing, are the collective terms for racing game software that attempts to accurately simulate auto racing, complete with real-world variables such as fuel usage, damage, tire ...

that is developed with an emphasis on realism. It provides advanced features such as a complex

tire A tire (American English) or tyre (British English) is a ring-shaped component that surrounds a Rim (wheel), wheel's rim to transfer a vehicle's load from the axle through the wheel to the ground and to provide Traction (engineering), t ...

model (visible dirt, tire wear and flat spots, that influence the car's handling) and a fully interactive

cockpit A cockpit or flight deck is the area, usually near the front of an aircraft or spacecraft, from which a Pilot in command, pilot controls the aircraft. The cockpit of an aircraft contains flight instruments on an instrument panel, and the ...

such as those seen in flight simulators.

Gameplay

In NetKar Pro, the players can change several settings on each car in the box, such as aerodynamics, brakes, chassis, and transmission. In addition, there are adjustments to the steering wheel angles and air pressure that can be set individually for each tire. If needed, telemetry data can be tracked and assessed at any time. The game offers a control option support for

Xbox 360 controller The Xbox 360 controller is the primary game controller for Microsoft's Xbox 360 home video game console that was introduced at E3 2005. The Xbox 360 controller comes in both wired and wireless versions. The Xbox controller is not compatible with ...

, joysticks and keyboard. The game comes bundled with 5 tracks, and a further 21 are available to download. Some are real, with the rest being fictional.

Development and release

netKar Pro debuted at a fair held in

Lanciano Lanciano (; nap, label= Abruzzese, Langiàne ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Chieti, part of the Abruzzo region of central Italy. It has 36,304 inhabitants as of 2011. The town is known for the first recorded Catholic Eucharistic ...

(

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

), February 24–26, 2006. Version 1.0 was released for download on April 10, 2006. Developers worked with companies involved in real car racing such as

Sparco Sparco S.p.A. is an Italian auto part and accessory company headquartered in Volpiano near Turin that specializes in producing items such as seats, steering wheels, harnesses, racewear and helmets. Sparco branded alloy wheels are produced under li ...

(design of

steering wheel A steering wheel (also called a driving wheel (UK), a hand wheel, or simply wheel) is a type of steering control in vehicles. Steering wheels are used in most modern land vehicles, including all mass-production automobiles, buses, light and ...

s, helmets, and driving suits), AIM Sportline (official and fully functional AIM data acquisition systems are reproduced in netKar Pro),

Cooper Cooper, Cooper's, Coopers and similar may refer to: * Cooper (profession), a maker of wooden casks and other staved vessels Arts and entertainment * Cooper (producers), alias of Dutch producers Klubbheads * Cooper (video game character), in ...

/ AVON tires,

Brembo Brembo S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of automotive brake systems, especially for high-performance cars and motorcycles. Its head office is in Curno, Bergamo, Italy. History Brembo was established in Paladina, Italy on January 11, 1961 ...

(

braking A brake is a mechanical device that inhibits motion by absorbing energy from a moving system. It is used for slowing or stopping a moving vehicle, wheel, axle, or to prevent its motion, most often accomplished by means of friction. Background ...

systems), Beta Tools; they worked also with a

Formula Three Formula Three, also called Formula 3, abbreviated as F3, is a third-tier class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an important step for many prospective Formula One driv ...

team Target Racing, with the race engineer Andrea Quintarelli and the driver Riccardo Azzoli (

Formula Gloria In science, a formula is a concise way of expressing information symbolically, as in a mathematical formula or a ''chemical formula''. The informal use of the term ''formula'' in science refers to the general construct of a relationship betwee ...

Formula Renault Formula Renault are classes of formula racing popular in Europe and elsewhere. Regarded as an entry-level series to motor racing, it was founded in 1971, and was a respected series where drivers can learn advanced racecraft before moving on to hig ...

and Formula Three). In the summer of 2006, it was announced that netKar Pro and BallRacing Developments Ltd - developers of hardware and software for the professional race driver and sim racing community - have joined forces "to co-develop the next generation of motorsport simulation". During Summer 2009, Kunos Simulazioni announced that the next version of netKar Pro, dubbed 1.1, was to be released through a three-stage Public

Beta Beta (, ; uppercase , lowercase , or cursive ; grc, βῆτα, bē̂ta or ell, βήτα, víta) is the second letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 2. In Modern Greek, it represents the voiced labiod ...

in an effort to iron out all the bugs before reaching gold status, through the help of the community. A new bug reporting feature was added specifically for this purpose. Beta 1/3 was released in August 2009, and featured: * A new, streamlined

user interface In the industrial design field of human–computer interaction, a user interface (UI) is the space where interactions between humans and machines occur. The goal of this interaction is to allow effective operation and control of the machine f ...

, which included a wizard to make controller setup more straightforward. The redesigned UI abandoned standard Windows UI widgets for the most part and focused on ease of use and a sleek look. * Support for additional controllers (such as

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

mice A mouse ( : mice) is a small rodent. Characteristically, mice are known to have a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (''Mus musculus' ...

, and

gamepad A gamepad is a type of video game controller held in two hands, where the fingers (especially thumbs) are used to provide input. They are typically the main input device for video game consoles. Features Gamepads generally feature a set of ...

s), abandoning the previous hardcore approach of supporting only USB steering wheels. * A number of small usability features were introduced, such as automatically switching on the electric and electronic systems of the car upon entry, a step which in the past relied on the driver's intervention, and was known to be baffling for many newcomers, driving them away as a result. * Many details which made netKar Pro more faithful and realistic were removed, ultimately deemed as too hard on casual sim racers. * Reworked Force Feedback, improving realism and immersion. Beta 2/3 came in early September, bringing a new car, the Abarth 500 Assetto Corse, and a new fictional track called Aosta, while at the same time fixing many bugs that affected both the handling of some of the cars and the new UI. Beta 3/3 was released on 16 January 2010. It contained minor additions, such as audio level control, enhanced chat, tweaked differentials and coast torque, and many usability improvements. On April 4, a Release Candidate (1.1RC) was leaked to a German site. It was later discovered that Kunos Simulazioni had been busy preparing a free, modified version of the simulator containing only the 500 Assetto Corse, which was to be used in an online competition sponsored by

MTV Italia MTV is an Italian pay television network, owned by Paramount Networks EMEAA and operated by Sky Italia. History Prior to the launch of a 24-hour Italian speaking MTV, MTV viewers in Italy received the pan-European version of MTV. Regionalization ...

. Marco Massarutto, Product Manager of netKar Pro, who acts as a spokesman for Kunos Simulazioni along with Casillo, replied claiming that the 500 in the MTV package was actually a dumbed-down version of netKar, only intended to be used within the boundaries of the promotional event. netKar Pro 1.1 Final was supposed to be ready within February, along with the Track Editor, and eventually appeared on April 6, 2010, although without any official statements from Kunos Simulazioni. The 1.2 revision of netKar Pro is an incremental upgrade initially released to the public on November 12, 2010. Two patches, 1.2B and 1.2C followed shortly has brought: *A new car, the Formula KS2 based on the real-life Formula GP2. *Revised tire model. *Revised differential modeling. *Improved collision handling and sturdier cars. *Many usability improvements, minor bug fixes, and some optimizations.

Version 1.3

On December 10, 2010, it was revealed that some of the announced planned developments would be released as netKar Pro v.1.3 on Christmas 2010. This update would contain: * A hill climb track (Trento-Bondone) and a new specific car, the Osella PA-21, which have been the object of much speculation since early 2007, was finally released to the public. Preview versions of this content have been around for a long time in the form of the Marangoni Simulator (which has been recently pulled off the tire manufacturer's site). This update was slated for release after 1.0.3 and subsequently delayed when 1.1 was announced. * A new car, the

Shelby Daytona The Shelby Daytona Coupe (also referred to as the Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe) is an American sports-coupé. It is related to the Shelby Cobra roadster, loosely based on its chassis and drive-train developed and built as an advanced evolution. I ...

that was initially spotted on Marco Massarutto's YouTube channel and subsequently announced in the same way. * Support for rain, with puddles forming on the road However, it was only on February 12, 2011, that a new Beta 1.3 release saw the light of the day. As of February 2011, v1.3 still hasn't been released.

Planned developments

Kunos has been quiet about further developments. Stefano Casillo, the game's main developer, confirmed the team was committed to continuing development of the 1.x branch to avoid disappointing existing customers, while at the same time pointing out the shortcomings of the technology in the current netKar Pro, which would make it very hard to add new features.

References

External links