Carset Newsletter June

1Robs Workshop Carset Newsletter June edition 2010

What to expect in this months edition:General Batracer and Carset newsNews on all the carsets in developmentInterviews with some of the designers And much more


Welcome

I’m really hoping that everyone prefers this edition to the first one. I’ve done my very best to make this as entertaining as possible. Also tried my hardest to get it as well laid out as I possibly can. Its been hard work making this, but after this issue there's no format work at all and its fun from there on.

The main reason me and my hombres are making this is to fill in the Batracer about the sets up and coming in the near future (hopefully). Its not always easy to find out whats going on unless your a member of the workshop or Jules himself. It is also a bit of a laugh and something different to do every month. Happy reading.

Introduction

Rob Baker


General NewsThe Builder is Reopened

Last month Jules reopened the Carset Builder which allows Carset makers to upload all the fundamentals of a new Carset. This in turn makes it much easier for Jules to upload them into the game. Although a great step forward Jules has explained to us that updates and simple carsets will have priority. This is because these sets require less coding, and other priorities come first.

Receiving this news has given us the green light for Indycar, Porsche Cup, Trans Am and a couple of other sets. This is fantastic news for us as we finally have a direct for work. But on the other hand some of our larger and more complete sets are now on standstill. Take Pieczars pre war racing carset for example. This is finished but will require extensive work. Extra coding would be required for its unique points system. Its sets like these that Batracer need to include more and more to make each set sustainably different from one another. It unfortunately could be a long time before we get some of these sets.

A Season of the Livery Competition is Completed

Recently, season 8 of the livery competition has been completed. Oscar Garcia took the individual honours, with a score of 92 points from the 10 rounds. Oscar didn’t win a single round of the competition, but his liveries were ranked highly very often, and 4 different judges placed one of his liveries in the top 3. Behind him were Theo H and Chris Beaton, tied on 88 points, who won three rounds between them.

In the teams’ competition, The Slightly Mad Ones, a team made up of Timo Mabbutt and Chris Beaton, worked together well all season long and took the title. They won half the rounds, and the title is a tribute to their teamwork and reliability. In second was Knight Rider Designs, who were committed to the competition, but could not match the artistic merit of Slightly Mad Ones liveries, and in third was Team Awesome, who, despite their excellent quality and two wins, could not match the winning team across a season.

The workshop has now reached a total 260 users and the amount is still growing each week. In fact over the past week we have had at least one member every 48 hours.

Two more cars have been created for the DRM 1977-1982 Carset. This set is still a way off finishing but its getting closer each week. For more information visit the DRM section on the workshop.

A while back we created a fake decal library. This is so that when creating a livery for players to use in game we can be consistent with our fake logos. These logos are fake but are designed to be comical or similar to the actual logo. Check it out on the workshop.

The latest round of the workshop livery competition has seen Timo make full use of Stev's fantastic bike templates.


Indycar

Carset news

Indycar has been given a graphical update and will now be based upon the most recent seasons. To help improve the carset’s longevity and popularity , we have decided to go generic on this. People had always requested the generic carset before to go alongside the original. Now their wish is fulfilled. Users will be able to upload realistic liveries off the website and have the possibility to create their own liveries. Following a couple of questions from Jack Mace all the teams will be generic. (As far as I know) So their won’t be a mix of historical and generic. Although their will be a selection of historical liveries on the workshop for people to upload themselves. The teams will be a max of 4 but hopefully the amount will be controlled to stop familiar scenes in Bat7s and Formula 3. But we aren’t sure about whether each team member will get different liveries just like real life. This was planned for Nascar before the Ferrari incident but since Jules's focus has been changed recently it is unlikely that new features will appear in game for a very long time. Also, there is the great question of whether this will be possible with a generic carset, and signs are at the moment that this may not be easy.Other planned changes to the carset are an updated calendar, including the new rounds in Sao Paulo, Barber Motorsports Park, and the old favourites transferred from the Champ Car World Series too late for the 2008 carset, Long Beach and Toronto. There will be an almost equal number of road courses and ovals.Also, knockout qualifying will be introduced on the road courses, whilst the ovals will stay the same. The tire programme (how’s that for a mix of American English and standard English?) is changed, to realistically feature reds and blacks, also with correct quantities. Finally, some of the data has been changed to mix up the strategies, and make them closer to real life, and also to reduce the out of range setups and ease of getting it spot on.

Classic Trans AmThe project to remake templates is going well, and lots of us are really looking forward to an update on this one. A whole host of brand new liveries mean that this set will be back to its best, and hopefully exciting for all.


Classic Trans Am

Carset news

Stefan the original creator of this set updated all the templates bringing them up to the extremely high standards he has managed to achieve. He has also produced all the shading and highlights for this set. This is a first for Stefan and he has done a fantastic job so far. Timo has been on the case of liveries. As one of the older more mature users on the workshop he has created many comical and fantastic fantasy liveries. Including the BATforum team which is driven by Jerry Ross. WTF Racing, Bakers Mustard (Mustang) team and Oscar Racing Co. Along with many others. Hopefully we will see this in game as soon as possible as it doesn’t require that much work.

Porsche Cup

Some work has been taken to restart this, and its looking good so far. There is a new template and liveries, so the graphics will be top-notch. It may well be a while, but this spec sports car set is probably worth the wait.

Jake Blackhall's set was set for completion in early November but was stopped dead in its tracks after the Ferrari Incident. Only recently has Jake decided to update everything with a fresh new template, shading and fantasy liveries. Please note that the wheels on the car where updated a couple of days ago by Pieczar. They are yet to be added to the template. But as you can imagine they are of an excellent quality.

The calendar has been devised up to follow a world wide Porsche Cup season, visiting many of the tracks the cars race on in real life.


European Rally X

Carset news

The reason for the workshop's existence has recently been restarted, and much work has been done towards all the templates needed for the extensive car list. Once more, it may be some time, but the Carset will certainly be unique and interesting.

So far Joni has created the majority of the templates with help from others. He has done all the shading which has given all the cars great shape. Look out for this set in the future. Its sure to be unique.

S2000

Still going on, and hopefully all the templates and liveries needed will be finished soon enough. This will be the definitive set for the Super 2000 era of touring cars, and should produce exciting racing.

The set is simply massive, much larger than any other one in game and on par with Nascar. The amount of cars on offer is simply mind boggling. Craig Nayler is producing some fantastic fantasy liveries as well as coming up with the concept of the car set. Alot of shading, liveries and one or two more templates need to be made before its all uploaded into the builder.

Unfortunately for this set, its size and its complexity will prevent it from going into game for some time. But when it finally makes it in expect an absolute favourite for many players!


GT3

Carset news

Needs a little more work, but, as in the real world, this will really be a series on the up. Large grids with many manufacturers and exciting racing, just what the public wants. A few more graphics needed yet, though.

GT3 was a major set being worked on before the Ferrari Incident. And since then work has continued at a very slow pace. Some of the beautiful liveries created such as the one above won’t go into game but luckily will be available for players to upload.

BTCC update

Again, a lot of the work done on the workshop recently has been concentrated on BTCC. There will be all new templates and liveries, so hopefully this will maintain all the character of the original set, with improved graphics.

This is a relatively recent project taken up by many with alot of enthusiasm behind it. And as its only a graphics update it is likely to have a much better chance of getting in game than some of the other sets around.


Other sets

Carset news

On our workshop there are a number of other sets with work progressing. But not at the rate of others. Lets check them out.

Pre War RacingMade and completed entirely by Pieczar before the Ferrari Incident. Work hasn’t continued since then so we are unsure was is to happen to this fantastic Carset. Hopefully it will be updated.F1 1979Again like Pre War the graphics were all completed by Jon Hawkins. Work has stopped but recently Rooster has made a handful of fake liveried cars, which haven’t been finished.F1 2002 UpdateChris Beaton and Oskie are updating this. Very slowly but we have Pieczars shading to look forward to.Super TouringThis set belongs to Rooster but has had an absence from Matt Simons after he made a handful of templates for the set. Works stopped for a while he focuses on his other sets,Grand AmA trio of templates were created but that was all. The set has been locked and hidden until we have the time to finish it off.Group B RallyJon Hawkins other set. This set has some liveries and template but is far from completion. No real work has occurred publicly for a while.Historic Touring CarsThis set was near completion but Stefan has recently decided to do a Trans Am style update of all the graphics. This will take some time and only two cars have been remade so far.TC2000Fernando's set. Work hasn’t happened here for a while but some cars were made and updated alot as he improved his techniques.DRM 1977 – 1982This set has recently had another two templates released. Timo has put alot of effort into this and works continuing at a nice pace. Hopefully work can pick up again and we can get more things done.Superbikes, Supersport and Endurance World CupThese sets are owned by Stev and there's a handful of templates around already. The templates are of a very high quality and take along time to produce because of the detail bikes have on them. These factors have slowed down production.


Other sets

Carset news

On our workshop there are a number of other sets with work progressing. But not at the rate of others. Lets check them out.

And over at Matts Workshop Matt hasn’t made anything major with his sets for some time now and work hasn’t happened here all year but here is a list of what to expect in the future:

NASCAR 2009/2010Super GTBMW M1MotoGP 2009/2010FIAGT CarsetWRC CarsetLeMans Group C CarsetSeat Leon Supercopa CarsetMegane CupA1GP Update24 hour Race ProjectDTM 1990sGroup A V2

Speak to Matt Simons or visit his workshop if you wish for more information on these sets.


The Robsworkshop tutorialsEver wondered how to make professional liveries to upload in game? Or wanted to learn to make cars like Pieczar? Or even want to find something to do. Then the tutorial section on the workshop could be your answer. Take a look around and improve your skills.

The Robsworkshop Livery CompetitionThe largest Batracer livery competition in the entire world. No other livery competitions come close to the size of ours. Designers have the possibility to enter multiple entries either on their own or as part of a registered team. The competition is followed fully with full results and championships for both individuals and teams.

The Robsworkshop Template CompetitionThe largest and original template competition on the internet. With many entries each round from people with different skill levels its the best way to practise the art of template making.

Batracer UnlimitedA extremely large Batracer community and fantastic clan base.

Batracer Unlimited CompetitionsThe Batracer Unlimited community also have a selection of competitions. A very successful livery competition and a fast growing template competition. Many Workshop members came from here and are still active making some fantastic work.

To advertise on this page PM me in game or contact me at the Workshop.

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With Rob Baker

Interview

Don’t worry about my mental health I didn’t interview myself. Timo kindly came up with a few questions.

-How did you started the workshop and why did you do it? When I first came across Batracer I was fascinated with making racing car liveries and having my own team. Batracer allowed me to do this. I soon became deeply in love with Carset making but I didn’t know that much about it. I set out to learn and make a Carset. Since then the workshop has grown and become a massive online community

-What do you think is your biggest achievement is on the shop so far? The biggest achievement by far was when we got a set in game. The Indy car set I do believe. Then there was that time when we had a massive bunch go in at once. That has to be the most exciting time for a Carset maker.

-What are your favourite cars? If I’m thinking race cars it has to be some meaty lemans stuff. On the road it has to be a MK6 Fiesta. Saving up for one .

-If you start building a car for Batracer how long does it take? It varies massively. When I am making cars for fun I can spend between 30 minutes to 2 hours on a car. I know where everything is in Gimp and I know all the short cuts. But when I’m making a car for a set it is often between an hour and two or three days.

-Do you think it’s hard for new guys to make stuff like you do? You get used to it. You can get an eye for what you are making and you can see what looks right and what looks wrong. It eventually gets easier and very enjoyable after the long learning process. To get to a good level takes alot of time and is difficult to achieve. Just play around alot with different tools and make as many things as you can.

-What are your future plans? Workshop and real life. I want to be happy in life. And be able to look back at the end of it and say it wasn’t a waste of time. I have achieved something and I know I’ve done the best I can. To do this it’s just to put in more and more hard work to make sure I get something in return.

-How do you see the future of Batracer? This is a difficult one. I want to see it expand but it’s down to Jules. It’s a big game. And with other rival games who have a team of people working day and night it’s a shame to see Batracer so tired looking. Graphical wise it isn’t very appealing anymore. I want to see Carset images back as soon as possible and with as many different sets as possible. Mainly S2000.

-Do you play Batracer yourself and how are your experiences? Do you think changes have to be made on the gameplay? I haven’t played Batracer properly since the Ferrari scandal, it hasn’t recovered. The enthusiasm is there from the players and people are still playing it. Before hand I would see people buying account after account to play. Now many lie empty. It’s a sad state of affairs I want to fix. The game must get updated to its older glory but with a better experience and the abili ty to hold on to the new players.


With Rob Baker

Interview

Samples of Robs’ work.


With Sam Crawford

Interview

Timo had a quick chat with one of the newer members of the forum.

-You are only a member of Robs Workshop since this year. Tell us a bit about yourself and how did you came in touch with the site?My name is Sam Crawford, and I am a 19 year old Catering student from London, UK. My main hobbies and passions in life include football, skateboarding, motorsport, cooking and design and technology. I learnt about Batracer through a friend and enrolled on BatracerUnlimited, and started posting there. I saw the livery competition and started entering that, and after a month it was suggested I tried out here, as it was a bigger community for everything I was interested in.

-Did you feel yourself at home at first?Very much so. I knew a few people who were here already from Batracer, and I immediately felt welcome. Everyone was very friendly and greeted me with open arms.

-Did the tutorials and help from the members help you to become a better graph artist?Definitely! Before posting on here and BU, I had never even heard of GIMP, and I was incredibly bad on Photoshop and paint, but working with other people here and reading tutorials gave me some very useful tips, not just for drawing cars, butalso in how to use the programs and build my skills as a whole.

-Do you think you still have a big growing margin with graphics?Yes, I have only done this for 4 months or so, and you can always improve. Everything I make I look back and think 'that logocan be better' or 'this line would look better in this style' I am by far my biggest critic and I think everyone can always improve more and more. I would say I'm not even halfway to my limits yet!

-At the moment this all is still a hobby. Do you have plans for later to become a real artist?I have never considered it before, as I am terrible at drawing with my actual hands, but it is always something I have admired in people. My Aunt is an artist, and so is my Grandma, so it does run in my family.........

-How do you like the other members? Are you inspired by some? I feel I get on well with everyone. There is sometimes a bit of negativity, but you have to agree to disagree, and get on with it. I am inspired by everything people do, if I see there's a new way to draw an object, or there's new styles people are tryingin the liveries, I will secretly go and try it for myself. Sometimes I go through really old posts, to see if I can take inspiration from things there, that maybe people have forgotten about!

-Any suggestions for the future of bat and the workshop? For the future of BAT, I'd say to keep the people happy, and that means you need to change thing every know and then to keep it fresh. New graphics, new features, new carsets or even just a fresh layout can make all the difference! Also, maybe the ability to customise more carsets, or even custom carsets. For example you can build your own series, picking from a selection of options, like tracks, cars used, distance of races and points tables. It's pretty advanced though and maybe it'stoo impractical to create, but I think it's a good idea anyway!

For the workshop, I see great things ahead. More and more people are getting involved, and new things are always being made. Just recently people have been making templates in completely different ways, and this is opening up a whole host of opportunities! Plus as I said before there is always room for improvement, so even the newer graphics and carsets can be updated to make them even better!


With Sam Crawford

Interview

Samples of Sam’s work.


A collection of some of the latest work on the forum.

Montage of work

16

Hey whys there a barcode?!

Robs Workshop Carset Newsletter June edition 2010

Visit the workshopwww.robsworkshop.co.cc

www.robsworkshop.batracer.comwww.phpbbserver.com/robsworkshop

Created by: Rob Baker, Timo Mabbutt and Philip Chandler

Suggestions to Rob Baker

Complaints to Philip Chandler

Carset Newsletter June

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