NetKar Pro
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| netKar Pro | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Kunos Simulazioni |
| Publisher(s) | Self published by Kunos Simulazioni |
| Designer(s) | Kunos Simulazioni |
| Release date(s) | version 1.0.0 10 April 2006, version 1.0.1 24 April 2006, version 1.0.2 31 October 2006 |
| Genre(s) | Sim racing |
| Mode(s) | Single player, Multiplayer |
| Platform(s) | PC (Win) |
| Media | initially distributed by Internet download or with magazines (requires online purchase) |
| Input | Gaming wheel, TrackIR |
- The correct title of this article is netKar Pro. The initial letter is shown capitalized due to technical restrictions.
netKar Pro (also nKPro) is an online racing simulator, inspired by flight simulators and the realism they strive to incorporate. It provides advanced features such as a complex tire model (ability to get dirty, show wear, and flat spot with visible changes in the tyre and changes to handling) and fully interactive cockpit (as seen in flight simulators).
Developers worked with real racing companies such as Sparco (design of steering wheels, helmets and driving suits), AIM Sportline [1] (official and fully functional AIM data acquisition systems are reproduced in netKar Pro), Cooper/AVON Tyres [2], Brembo (braking systems), BETA Tools; they worked also with a Formula 3 team Target Racing, with the race engineer Andrea Quintarelli and the driver Riccardo Azzoli (Formula Gloria, Formula Renault and Formula 3).
netKar Pro debuted at a fair held in Lanciano (Italy), February 24-26, 2006. Version 1.0 was released for download 10 April 2006. This initial release and subsequent patch had many bugs.
In the summer of 2006 it was announced that netKar Pro and BallRacing Developments Ltd - market leaders in their respective development of hardware and software for the professional racedriver and simracing community - have joined forces to co-develop the next generation of motorsport simulation. This secured the future of netKar PRO as racing car simulator.
In October of 2006, the netKar Pro development team released version 1.0.2 (a patch release). This patch improved the multiplayer experience, enabling leagues to take advantage of the simulation for a high level of competition. GPChampionship.com is a leading organiser of online international simracing championships with netKar PRO.
The netKar PRO community is currently waiting for more content for netKar PRO. Several (real) add-on tracks have been released by the community in the meanwhile. Forthcoming is a track editor that will enable the community to start working on, and adding more content to the simulation. The community is also waiting for new cars to be added by the development team as addition to the (few) open wheel cars that already exist in netKar PRO.
Still a very controversial game, the online racing community for netKar Pro is almost non-existent, and updates or any contact with the developers has been sparse. The game is still waiting for a promised "1.03 patch" to solve fps (frames per second) issues and to allow a properly working multiplayer for the computers that meet the "guaranteed system requirements" as advertised at game launch.
[edit] See also
- Formula Ford, Formula Renault 2000, Formula Three
- The cars included in version 1.0 use a double wishbone suspension
- Comparison of racing simulators
[edit] External links
- (English) (Italian) (German) Official site
- (English) Online magazine AutoSimSport exclusively tested the multiplayer beta of netKar Pro (the same seen in Lanciano fair). The review has been published in the febbruary ussue.
- (English) Developer's diary, explaining technical aspects of netKar Pro (November 28, 2005)
- (English) NetKar Pro Forum / RPMnet.org- Global active race community
- (English) Forum on Race Sim Central
- (Italian) Forum on DrivingItalia.net
- (English) netKar PRO international simracing championship on GPChampionship.com
