 Splash screen | |
| Original author(s) | Eric Espié and Christophe Guionneau |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Bernhard Wymann, et al.[1] |
| Initial release | 1997 |
| Stable release | v1.3.7 / May 26, 2016; 8 years ago (2016-05-26) |
| Repository | sourceforge |
| Written in | C++ |
| Engine |
 |
| Platform | Cross-platform |
| Type | Racing game |
| License | GNU GPL,Free Art license |
| Website | torcs |
TORCS (The Open Racing Car Simulator) is anopen-source3Dcar racing simulator available onLinux,FreeBSD,Mac OS X,AmigaOS 4,AROS,MorphOS andMicrosoft Windows.TORCS was created by Eric Espié and Christophe Guionneau, but project development is now headed by Bernhard Wymann.[2] It is written inC++ and islicensed under theGNU GPL.TORCS is designed to enable pre-programmedAI drivers to race against one another, while allowing the user to control a vehicle using either a keyboard, mouse, or wheel input.[3]
Development ofTORCS began in 1997 by Eric Espié and Christophe Guionneau as a2D game calledRacing Car Simulator (RCS). It was influenced by and based onRARS (Robot Auto Racing Simulator).[4] When Espié and Guionneau acquired a3dfxgraphics card for game development, they made the first3D version of the simulator withOpenGL and renamed itOpen Racing Car Simulator (ORCS) so as not to be confused with theRevision Control System.
The early versions ofORCS did not include cars with engines, making the game aSoap Box Derby-style, downhill racing simulation. When engines and engine sounds were eventually added, the simulation was given its final name,TORCS, as the name seemed more relevant to automobiles given its similarity to the wordtorque.
Later, Guionneau added multiple camera angles during game-play. Guionneau developed much of the original graphics code inTORCS and eventually addedtexture mapping to give more detail to the cars. Espié then worked on piecing together and finalizing code for release.[5]
The current main developers ofTORCS are Bernhard Wymann (project leader), Christos Dimitrakakis (simulation, sound, AI) and Andrew Sumner (graphics, tracks). Aside from bugfixes and maintenance ofTORCS code, the next features planned includenetwork multiplayer mode, improvedphysics engine, enhanced car interior detail, and replays.[6]
In December 2000CNN placedTORCS among the"Top 10 Linux games for the holidays".[7]Linux Journal consideredTORCS to be the best open source driving game in their October 18, 2007 issue, highlighting the ability for players to design their own cars, realistic graphics and vehicle handling.[8] The game has gained substantial popularity; between 2000 and 2017, it was downloaded over 2.9 million times viaSourceForge.net alone.[9]
TheTORCS Racing Board hosts a competition on its website among players in the TORCS community. Unlike traditional network multiplayer events in which players compete in real-time onlocal network orInternet-connected clients simultaneously, theTORCS Racing Board is a competition betweenartificial intelligence "robots" developed and uploaded by users.
Faculty from theUniversity of Würzburg andPolitecnico di Milano host two AI competitions, theSimulated Car Racing Championship and theDemolition Derby Competition; the latter uses a patchedTORCS server.[10]
TORCS has beenforked into several projects, for exampleSpeed Dreams,[11] originally known asTorcs-NG.
Due to its openness, modularity and extensibility,TORCS has been adopted as a base for many research projects; examples include automated computation of car setups, human-assisted algorithmic generation of tracks and the application of several computing techniques (e.g. genetic programming) to different aspects of robot driving. Since 2008,TORCS has also played an important role in various research fields within theIEEE Conference on Computational Intelligence and Games, where it appears as a base for 4 to 6 projects every year.
According to theTORCS FAQ the current version ofTORCS should be cited as "B. Wymann, E. Espié, C. Guionneau, C. Dimitrakakis, R. Coulom, A. Sumner. TORCS: The Open Racing Car Simulator, vX.X.X, 20XX."
