[injectorman]

Coming in 2012

Real speed ghost cars:
Record an actual lap and replay that lap over and over again as a fierce competitor instead of just a single speed ghost car.

Saftety cars:
Massive accident? Press LC and Brake button simultaneously on your controller to activate a real saftety car. The car will pull out from the pits and circle the track at a given speed until the pile up is cleared. Now press the LC and Brake buttons again simultaneously and the car returns to pits and switches off!

Smart Ghost Car
A ghost car that can think for itself! The ghost car analyses traffic ahead and chooses which lane to go in. Now thats smart!

Automatic Track Call:
The system automatically detects a car off and brings all cars to a pre-determined lower speed. Once the car is reslotted the sysyem automatically detects this too and full racing resumes!

Starting Lights
Using the Lane Brain a wireless command is sent to power starting lights using the solnoid drivers already on the LB.

Light board
A light board that connects to the car decoder is planned along with full control from the controller.

WAM (Wireless Analog Module 100A) (250A peak)
Why muck around, a huge 100A wireless module that will suit womps, winged cars or any slot car.

I cant think right now of any other goodies required. After this I think Scorpius may have most bases covered.

However Im looking for new ideas, so if any of you guys have some requests please put them here.

Scorpius design philosophy is to try to simulate 1:1 racing generally, so not all ideas will be utilised.

Rick

 

[Camber]

QUOTE (injectorman @ 17 Aug 2011, 19:51) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Light board
A light board that connects to the car decoder is planned along with full control from the controller.

WAM (Wireless Analog Module 100A) (250A peak)
Why muck around, a huge 100A wireless module that will suit womps, winged cars or any slot car.

Rick

I have just finished a 1/24 Plafit Pontiac build which has an Overdrive light kit with orange exhaust flame LEDS which light up under brakes. Looks really cool, everyone comments on them.

I was hoping for at least 30 amps but 100 amps WAM would be awesome, no more worries about shorts. A high amp module is definately worth developing.

- Cam

 

[RikoRocket]

Hi I'man, are you already doing fuel load speed effects?

I am so jealous with the safety car, I wanted that for a long, long time...

Great to see you developing this to be the ultimate

 

[Graham Lane]

If there is a 'massive accident', won't the safety car just pile into it, or does it detect where it is and stop well clear?

Could the safety car also be a police car. When a car goes past at high speed, as in travelling between stages on a rally, could the police car then come out, pass the car and pull it over? That would be fun.

Great list of features by the way.

 

[Merc_A]

So glad i chose Scorpius! Super goodies

Ge'er done ey!

Great idea Graham, safety car or police chases, there's something for everyone's taste

Merc

 

[Deand]

Exciting list for 2012, All sounds great.

I did not see wireless head set. Is that still in the plan?

How about in the future a sound chip with a small speaker for motor sounds. Like NSCAR, F-1 and excetra?
That will adjust based on the action of the controler.

Dean

 

[injectorman]

Hi Deand,
Forgot about the headset. That wont be an easy one to implement. Still thinking on that one. One headset is fine but multiples arent so easy.
Sound chip, no go, there wouldnt be enough demand.

Rick

 

[Graham Lane]

Let's do a poll on the sound chip. I think there would be a demand.

 

[nvmyre]

Sound would be awesome, but a great list of features nonetheless.

 

[injectorman]

QUOTE (Graham Lane @ 18 Aug 2011, 00:51) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>If there is a 'massive accident', won't the safety car just pile into it, or does it detect where it is and stop well clear?

Hi Graham,
Luckily we can tell which sector the pile up is in. So the safety car can stop using its own intelligence. Actually it could tell even to within an inch where the closet car left the rails by using car telemetry. So too in 1:1 if the road is blocked the race is stopped the safety car cant get through.

QUOTE Could the safety car also be a police car. When a car goes past at high speed, as in travelling between stages on a rally, could the police car then come out, pass the car and pull it over? That would be fun.

Sure anything like that could be done if you can write the program. It would be fun to do as a challenge seeing all the necessary hardware is in place. It would be a mix of blue flag, speed detection, sector timing, intelligent ghost car and throttle over ride programs either existing or already planned. Do the cops do a car search too?

Rick

 

[Nigel Pendrigh]

Outstanding

This is CANI at its best!

Constant And Never-Ending Improvement

 

[Captain (Aus)]

I'm not fully up to date with all the features of Scorpius, so this might already be included, but will it come with a data logger? Where you can overlay the throttle applications from one racer over another racers throttle applications (as a graph) for any given lap. It may be useful in teaching beginners where they are going wrong, being smooth and feeding power on slowly out of turns where needed.

Also, +1 for the sound effects (As long as it sounded real).

and...

+1 for sound effects also for my work mate who has little to no interest in slot cars (even though I try my best to brain wash him).

 

[injectorman]

Hi
We currently have wireless throttle and car telemetery but the next step is to record it in a graphical format for visual comparison.

Rick

 

[injectorman]

QUOTE (RikoRocket @ 17 Aug 2011, 23:30) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Hi I'man, are you already doing fuel load speed effects?

I am so jealous with the safety car, I wanted that for a long, long time...

Great to see you developing this to be the ultimate

Not exactly related to loads but we have linear, quadratic and cubic functions, and its really noticeble. If you go flat out around the track you can use 3 times more than if you crawled home. In fact the other day I almost ran out of fuel, but knowing I had 3 litres left and the lap normally uses 6 litres I was able to crawl home and still have a litre left. If you run out of fuel youre out of the race obviously. I refuelled and went on to win the race.

We will definetely add in another algorithm later for the weight effect of fuel.

Yup like you I've always wanted the automated safety car. It could be set off automatically or manually. It could even sense if the safety car is overtaken and issue a penalty.

 

[tossedman]

QUOTE (injectorman @ 17 Aug 2011, 02:51) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Coming in 2012

WAM (Wireless Analog Module 100A) (250A peak)
Why muck around, a huge 100A wireless module that will suit womps, winged cars or any slot car.

Rick

Hey Rick,

How's the WAM (Wireless Analog Module 100A) (250A peak) coming along? Looks like it would be great for HO cars.

Todd

 

[injectorman]

Hi To
Hmmm I think those little suckers run on 18-22V? In which case it may not be suitable but then again the current draw would be miniscule so could be ok.

We have decided to go with a 50A version which has been designed, and we will be getting 6 or so made up during the upcoming Scorpius run.

Rick

 

[saleen385]

Rick,

How's that analog controller coming along? Have you made any progress?

Jim

 

[injectorman]

Hi,

Camber has been beta testing for the last 3 months, competing every Monday and Thursday nights. So far we have discovered the radio range needs increasing and so too with the power. So far no other issues. Last step was designing a 50A version. However the last 2 months have basically been fully dedicated to the RMS, and now the silly season. I expect to resume work on this in the new year after the RMS is released.

Rick

 

[Merc_A]

I've been racing Scorpius for some time now, it's simply a totally different way of slotracing. As Rick said somehwere: if it works, it's mindblowing fun
Since this week we've been racing with the new Scorpius RMS. All looks and works great, but there's one thing i might add on a wishlist for future improvement, concering the fuel management.

Now it's quite straightforward: the system counts your fuel usage, and when you're out of fuel, the RMS stops counting laps. You can set the consequences of running on empty: pit in, refuel and off you go again, counting laps again; pit in, heat is over for you; or even drastically: pit in, game is over for you.
RMS-wise this is great, but gamewise / visually i find it a bit dissapointing you can keep on driving after running dry. No more counted laps allright, but you can still zoom around the track, blocking opponents, etc.
It would be way more realistic the throttle would react on the empty fuel tank, and would be cut off in case of running out of petrol.
Can this goodie be implemented somehow / somewhere in 2012?

Merc

 

[Camber]

QUOTE (Merc_A @ 28 Dec 2011, 10:09) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>It would be way more realistic the throttle would react on the empty fuel tank, and would be cut off in case of running out of petrol.
Merc

I think cutting off the throttle completely could be bad for the guy behind you

I would LOVE to see the car stutter around the track when fuel runs out to add some realism and give other drivers a clear indication to avoid that car. Not so it takes forever to complete a lap, but enough to lose a couple of seconds so others are not disadvantaged.

- Cam