Hockenheinring Race Track
14 June 2007
It is with great pleasure to introduce you all to one of Dirk Stuck's latest creations for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 [FS2004 or FS9]: the Formula 1 Hockeinring race track. This race track is loaded with both details and surprises; and on top of that, it's free to download at AvSim.com.
To start this article, I will begin with first impressions. When I first installed this scenery addon onto FS9 and then tried it, I was awe struck by the attention to details. First off, the road is nicely setup according to it real-world counterpart and feature custom scenery objects that you would normally find along the real-world version of the track. The spectator stands were nicely put together and laid out along parts of the track, small buildings that make up the center of the track are rich in details and the pitstop area brought a neat surprise along with it.
One of the things that I have noticed in the track is how Dirk Stuck's Formula 1 racers handle on it. As I drove along the track from the starting position, the ground behaived more or less like dirk. I thought to myself "ah, man! My racer is not gonna handle very well"; but as I continued on the turns and maintained my steady speed of 30-36 knots, I have realized that the F1 racer actually handled better on the dirt-like surface than it did on the concrete surface; even though the track looks like concrete. It became even more apparent as I approached the hair-pin turn at the apex of the track. I'm guessing this has something to do with the fact that this is FS2004, not Forza Motor Sports 2.
Another thing to note are the textures. The textures are everywhere, even the grassy areas are part of the textures. Of course, some of textures will look a bit stretched or distorted on some parts, but the rest of the track's textures are nicely laid out.
Now for the track. The track's textures [the road itself] are consistant and even from start to finish. The only things missing are the skid marks.
Here's one easter I saw along the way. And it's a very big easter egg. Driving past this massive spectator stand gives you the sense that you really are at the center of the stage.
Take a nice look at the stands to your left and then look at the F1 racer. This gives you an idea on how big the track is. You'll also notice the AvSim logo on the small wall to the right. FSGV's logo is also featured on the track and you'll find it just before making the hair-pin turn I told you about earlier.
Take a close look at the next three shots below. Notice the large blue and white video screen on the top right. See anything different?
And to top the cake off, this little shot provides the icing. And in case you ask, the pitcrew is animated so that they can service your vehicle. Neat huh?
Of course, this addon [just like any other addon the FS world] is not without its downsides. For one, don't expect the animated pitcrew to react according to your vehicle's position in relation to the pitstop. The crew merely follows a preset cycle that loops over and over. But you have to admit, it's still pretty neat to have that kind of company on the track. There is also the issue of certain parts of the default terrain bleeding through minor parts of the track. This becomes most apparent in the corners. I didn't really pay much attention to the bleed-through effect since they were minor [to me that is] and because I was focusing more on speeding through the track at 35-40 knots.
Overall, Hockenheinring is a very impressive scenery addon. If there is any track that fits the bill for hosting online races, this would be it. I like to thank Dirk Stuck for providing this latest work of art for the entire FS community as freeware. Like I said before, you can find it at AvSim.com since that is where Dirk keeps all of his other addons. You can find his website at the following link:
http://www.flight-team-bremerhaven.de/index.php
Cheers,
Jessy Corrales
FSGV Admin
