[ODE] Stunt Racing simulation, alpha version

[fidinata@tin.it]

Hello friends,

I just uploaded the alpha version of my stunt racing simulator, HD2002.
This was possible only thanks to ODE, Plib, SDL and Erwin's trimesh collider!
Download it from the crappy page I set up for this project:
http://members.xoom.it/Devas

For now it's win32 only, Linux version as soos as I figure out how to make
the
trimesh collider work in Linux. Right now the game is limited but very funny
(in my opinion...). Collision detection problems (if you hit the ground
very,
very violently the car falls down in the abyss... press ESC to exit and
relaunch - I still have to find a way to reset the position without breaking
the simulation... when you fall upside down on the ground, the collision
detection works for the wheels only, so it's possible to gain speed, turn
violently and regain the correct position - sometimes this turns out to
be
funny! ).

Lots of graphic problems: Z-buffer glitches (I have to redesign the
track) a strange "motion blur" effect against my sky box (I'm an opengl
beginner, could this be caused by depth buffer tricks used by the skybox?)
I want to add a timer (to measure lap times), some way to slow down your
car
when you're out of track and net play (I think artificial competitors are
impossible to implement since the physics simulation makes the car *very*
difficult to drive, I cannot see how an AI could do it). Lot of work to
do on
the artistic side also, but I'll work on it when I have good overall
correctness (collision detection, etc.) adding new cars (now there's only
a
fiat 127 that I modeled 'cause this was my first car when 11 years ago I
turned 18... and it needs work too - see the windshield and glasses completely
misaligned). If anybody can give me some hint on how to make the car more
controllable, and expecially how to make the collision detection work better
-
I've seen a post where Erwin said he made a new version for OPCODE 1.1 (or
1.2?)
that corrects some problems.
Last time I checked the CVS it seemed the same version from the modification
dates...
It' s always possible to penetrate a bit inside
the meshes, I cannot set the cfm too low or the wheels bounces too much...
other problem: at the higher speed the car starts to "vibrate" - it's also
very
common to have the car rolling upside down (because of spheres used for
the
collision geometry of the wheels, probably) . I would be very grateful if
anybody has a solution for these problems!

Have fun,

Filippo Di Natale