VDrift is a

cross-platform In computing, cross-platform software (also called multi-platform software, platform-agnostic software, or platform-independent software) is computer software that is designed to work in several computing platforms. Some cross-platform software r ...

free Free may refer to: Concept * Freedom, having the ability to do something, without having to obey anyone/anything * Freethought, a position that beliefs should be formed only on the basis of logic, reason, and empiricism * Emancipate, to procur ...

open source Open source is source code that is made freely available for possible modification and redistribution. Products include permission to use the source code, design documents, or content of the product. The open-source model is a decentralized sof ...

driving simulation made with

drift racing Drifting is a driving technique where the driver intentionally oversteers, with loss of traction, while maintaining control and driving the car through the entirety of a corner. The technique causes the rear slip angle to exceed the front slip ...

in mind. It is released under the

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(GPL) v3. It is currently available for

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and

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Goals

The goals of the VDrift project are: * to be a high-quality, open source racing simulation featuring enjoyable and challenging gameplay; * to take advantage of modern computing hardware to accurately simulate vehicle physics in rich and immersive racing environments; and * to provide a platform for creative experimentation to a community of developers and artists.

History

VDrift was created by Joe Venzon in early 2005. A fan of Gran Turismo, Joe had a lot of fun trying to drift in GT4, though he was disappointed with GT4's physics after loss of traction. Looking around online, the open source Vamos Automotive Simulator performed much better, although the graphics and features were minimal. Building around Vamos, using code adapted from his earlier 3D engine experiments, Joe created the first version of VDrift. So far, every release has been a testing/development quality release. For this and other reasons, dates are used instead of version numbers. The driving physics engine was recently re-written from scratch but was inspired by and owes much to the Vamos physics engine. Originally developed on a

SourceForge SourceForge is a web service that offers software consumers a centralized online location to control and manage open-source software projects and research business software. It provides source code repository hosting, bug tracking, mirrorin ...

repository, the project seems to have shifted around 2011 to a

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one.

Features

This game is in the early stages of development but is already very playable. Currently the game features: * 45 tracks based on famous real-world tracks * 39 cars based on real-world vehicles * Very realistic, simulation-grade driving physics * Mouse/joystick/gamepad/wheel/keyboard support * Fully modeled tracks, scenery and terrain * Several different camera modes * Basic replay system with Skip Forward/Skip Backward * Fully customizable controls * Joystick, mouse and keyboard input filtering * Brake and reverse lights * Driver aids: automatic shifting, traction control, anti-lock braking * Experimental

force feedback Haptic technology (also kinaesthetic communication or 3D touch) is technology that can create an experience of touch by applying forces, vibrations, or motions to the user. These technologies can be used to create virtual objects in a computer ...

* Race against up to 3 AI with variable difficulty * Engine and road sounds

Reception and impact

The game was reviewed between 2006 and 2009 by multiple websites. The game became a quite popular downloadable freeware title and was downloaded between 2005 and May 2017 alone via

over 2.3 million times,

Softpedia Softpedia is a software and tech news website based in Romania. It indexes, reviews and hosts various downloadable software and reports news on technology and science topics. Website Softpedia hosts reviews written by its staff—each review in ...

counted 58,000 downloads, and

Softonic Softonic.com is a web portal based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It was founded in June 1997 and is owned by Softonic International. History Softonic started in 1996 as a file-oriented download service called Shareware Intercom, at Intercom ...

another 175,000 downloads in May 2017.

Derivatives

Due to the

Free and open source Free and open-source software (FOSS) is a term used to refer to groups of software consisting of both free software and open-source software where anyone is freely licensed to use, copy, study, and change the software in any way, and the source ...

license A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...

of Vdrift

forks In cutlery or kitchenware, a fork (from la, furca 'pitchfork') is a utensil, now usually made of metal, whose long handle terminates in a head that branches into several narrow and often slightly curved tines with which one can spear foods ei ...

and derivatives are possible and encouraged. ''Stunt Rally'' is an example which is based on VDrift and uses

OGRE An ogre ( feminine: ogress) is a legendary monster depicted as a large, hideous, man-like being that eats ordinary human beings, especially infants and children. Ogres frequently feature in mythology, folklore, and fiction throughout the wor ...

.stuntrally
on

sourceforge.net SourceForge is a web service that offers software consumers a centralized online location to control and manage open-source software projects and research business software. It provides source code repository hosting, bug tracking, mirroring ...

References

External links

Official site

Vamos Physics Engine
{{DEFAULTSORT:VDrift Racing simulators Linux games MacOS games Windows games Racing video games Open-source video games