''VDrift'' is a

cross-platform Within computing, cross-platform software (also called multi-platform software, platform-agnostic software, or platform-independent software) is computer software that is designed to work in several Computing platform, computing platforms. Some ...

, free/

open source Open source is source code that is made freely available for possible modification and redistribution. Products include permission to use and view the source code, design documents, or content of the product. The open source model is a decentrali ...

driving simulation made with drift racing in mind. It is released under the

GNU General Public License The GNU General Public Licenses (GNU GPL or simply GPL) are a series of widely used free software licenses, or ''copyleft'' licenses, that guarantee end users the freedom to run, study, share, or modify the software. The GPL was the first ...

(GPL) v3. It is currently available for

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and

Microsoft Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

Goals

The goals of the ''VDrift'' project are: * To be a high-quality, open source racing simulation featuring enjoyable and challenging gameplay. * To take advantage of modern computing hardware to accurately simulate vehicle physics in rich and immersive racing environments. * To provide a platform for creative experimentation to a community of developers and artists.

History

''VDrift'' was created by Joe Venzon in early 2005. A fan of '' Gran Turismo'', Joe had a lot of fun trying to drift in ''

Gran Turismo 4 ''Gran Turismo 4'' is a 2004 sim racing video game developed by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. It is the fourth main installment and the sixth overall in the ''Gran Turismo'' series. It was ...

'', though he was disappointed with ''GT4''s physics after loss of traction. Looking around online, the open source Vamos Automotive Simulator performed much better, although the graphics and features were minimal. Building around Vamos, using code adapted from his earlier 3D engine experiments, Joe created the first version of ''VDrift''. So far, every release has been a testing/development quality release. For this and other reasons, dates are used instead of version numbers. The driving physics engine was later re-written from scratch but was inspired by and owes much to the Vamos physics engine. Originally developed on a

SourceForge SourceForge is a web service founded by Geoffrey B. Jeffery, Tim Perdue, and Drew Streib in November 1999. SourceForge provides a centralized software discovery platform, including an online platform for managing and hosting open-source soft ...

repository, the project seems to have shifted around 2011 to a

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one.

Features

This game is in the early stages of development but is already playable. Currently the game features: * 45 tracks based on famous real-world tracks * 39 cars based on real-world vehicles * Realistic, simulation-grade driving physics * Mouse/joystick/gamepad/wheel/keyboard support * Fully modeled tracks, scenery and terrain * Several different camera modes * Basic replay system with Skip Forward/Skip Backward * Fully customizable controls * Joystick, mouse and keyboard input filtering * Brake and reverse lights * Driver aids: automatic shifting, traction control, anti-lock braking * Experimental force feedback * Race against up to 3 AI with variable difficulty * Engine and road sounds

Reception and impact

The game was reviewed between 2006 and 2009 by multiple websites. The game became a quite popular downloadable freeware title and was downloaded between 2005 and May 2017 alone via

over 2.3 million times,

Softpedia Softpedia is a software and tech news website based in Romania. It indexes, reviews and hosts downloadable software and reports news on technology and science topics. It is ranked as among of the top download portals on the internet. History So ...

counted 58,000 downloads, and

Softonic Softonic is a Spanish software download platform that distributes, categorizes, and evaluates programs for Windows, Android, and Mac. The platform was founded in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in June 1997. History Softonic started in 1997 as a ...

another 175,000 downloads in May 2017.

Derivatives

Due to the

free and open source Free and open-source software (FOSS) is software available under a license that grants users the right to use, modify, and distribute the software modified or not to everyone free of charge. FOSS is an inclusive umbrella term encompassing free ...

license A license (American English) or licence (Commonwealth English) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another part ...

of ''Vdrift''

forks In cutlery or kitchenware, a fork (from 'pitchfork') is a Eating utensil, utensil, now usually made of metal, whose long handle terminates in a head that branches into several narrow and often slightly curved tine (structural), tines with whic ...

and derivatives are possible and encouraged. ''Stunt Rally'' is an example which is based on ''VDrift'' and uses

OGRE An ogre (feminine: ogress) is a legendary monster depicted as a large, hideous, man-like being that eats ordinary human beings, especially infants and children. Ogres frequently feature in mythology, folklore, and fiction throughout the world ...

.stuntrally
on

sourceforge.net SourceForge is a web service founded by Geoffrey B. Jeffery, Tim Perdue, and Drew Streib in November 1999. SourceForge provides a centralized software discovery platform, including an online platform for managing and hosting open-source softw ...

References

External links

Official site

Vamos physics engine
{{DEFAULTSORT:VDrift Racing simulators Linux games MacOS games Windows games Racing video games Open-source video games