Live for Speed – Version 0.6J Released

A few days ago, the Live for Speed development team released a new version of their long-running simulation.

Before anybody gets excited, no, the new version again does not include the VW Scirocco, the new tire model or the laser-scanned Rockingham Speedway that were announced more than six years ago.

Instead, the new version brings plenty of other fixes, including:

Changes from 0.6H to 0.6J :

Optimisations :

Static vertex buffers reorganised to reduce DirectX instructions
Frames buffered (default 1) to allow next frame to start rendering
More efficient car distance sorting system for sound and graphics
Dynamic vertex buffers now set to use hardware vertex processing
Better frame rate in places where many objects may be visible

Graphics :

Sky texture is now drawn in mirrors
Layout editor object selection buttons are sorted by distance
Z-buffer depth setting can now be changed without restarting LFS
Mirror now uses 24 bit Z buffer if Z buffer setting is more than 16

Frame rate limitation system :

Frame rate limitation system is now accurate and has better values
New frame info display shows sleep / physics updates / gpu waiting
Now using an event query instead of a lock for input lag prevention
Minimum sleep setting changed to “Sleep every frame” (yes / no)

Misc :

Now using Direct3D 9Ex if available (Windows Vista and later)
Reduced glitch when autocross objects are optimised (e.g. on load)
Reduced min / max values for “Sound lag” setting – default now 0.08
New Audio Option “Sound when window is inactive” (off / on)

3D view modes :

Added a 3D level slider option to adjust monitor-based 3D views
Reduced CPU / GPU usage by sharing scene preparation for both eyes

Oculus Rift :

Now using Oculus SDK version 0.6.0.1 which includes timewarp
You can now enter and leave Rift mode without restarting LFS
Smooth display (if you do not use SLI or force vertical sync)
Monitor window view options : blank / one eye / two eyes

Oculus Rift compatibility mode :

For users who cannot use the Oculus 0.6 runtime, you can still use
the 0.5 runtime. Simply rename the ORDIRECT.dll to some other name
and LFS will then use LFSORDLL.dll instead (extended mode only).

Fixes :

Some buildings at Westhill track were drawn using a slow method
Mouse clipped to window (CTRL+C) now works properly with ALT+TAB
Using mouse wheel to change gear did not work properly at high fps
Layout editor object selection buttons used interface button slots
Crash changing texture resolution with two or more objects selected
Anisotropic filtering did not work on car textures (including skin)

The new version is either available via AutoUpdater for those using version 0.5V or later. Alternatively, a full version download is available below: