Hey Sethioz, nice forum!! It's such a breath of fresh air compared to some other forums!!!
In any case, cheers for the info about TDU performance modding! I've been modding cars for a few days now and I have found out quite a bit of good info about it. I'll post what I've found so far as it will be useful for anyone modding TDU performance:
TDU PERFORMANCE MODDING TIPS
I found an easier way to view and edit the parameters inside 'DB.bnk\TDU_CarPhysicsData.db' (once it's been extracted and decrypted). Basically you can open the decrypted file in excel or some other spreadsheet program, just be sure to specify ';' as the 'delimiter' and you'll be fine. Once you've done this all the parameters for each car are in separate columns and rows. Then you can use copy & 'paste special\paste transpose' to copy all the parameter names ({REF},{Car_Brand} etc) from one column to multiple columns and then they line up with all the other columns of parameters and it's WAY easier to see what the fuck is going on!!
NOTE!!: DO NOT save the excel sheet over the top of your decrypted file!! This will not work... read on to find out how to do it...
Once you've made your modifications in excel, what you need to do is to open the original decrypted 'TDU_CarPhysicsData.db' file with notepad++. Now copy the the row that you've been working on out of excel and paste it into notepad++,
replacing the original line for that car. Then do a find and replace on '\t' and change to ';' (no 's of course). This will put the parameters back in the original format.
NOTE!!: DO NOT SAVE YET!! There are 2 things that you will need to check when you use this method:
1. That there is a trailing ';' at the end of the line
2. That there is no blank line after your modified line.
Copying and pasting from excel will always result in these 2 things needing to be changed! If you find that TDU exits before the main menu comes up, there's probably a mistake in the 'TDU_CarPhysicsData.db' file.
Once you've done all that, you can save the 'TDU_CarPhysicsData.db' file and encrypt etc as normal. I tend to keep the excel file (saved as an excel format file) and use it to mod other cars etc and just copying the lines I want into notepad++.
Here is a copy of my spreadsheet you can use as a template which also has some look-ups to enable easier identification of each vehicle:
GENERAL PERFORMANCE MODDING NOTES
A lot of the parameters in the 'TDU_CarPhysicsData.db' file are non-functional or informational only (they appear on the car's spec sheet) and don't affect performance at all. Generally the 0-100, quarter mile etc parameters have no effect. Below is a list of parameters which I have observed to have effects on the car's performance. Some, such as {Power_BHP} are self, explanatory, others, such as {Cx_Height} are a bit more difficult to understand. I have provided some details of the less obvious parameters further down this post.
Note that the i,f,h etc letters after the names of each parameter in 'TDU_CarPhysicsData.db' refer to the following:
i = Integer (whole) value only allowed
f = Floating (decimal) allowed
h = Characteristic Parameter (see below)
u & others = Game Database / File / Internal References
Straight Line Performance Parameters:
{Power_bhp}
{Red_Line}
{Drive}
{GearBox}
{Nb_Gears}
{Final_Drive_Ratio}
{Gear_ratio_1}
{Gear_ratio_2}
{Gear_ratio_3}
{Gear_ratio_4}
{Gear_ratio_5}
{Gear_ratio_6}
{Gear_ratio_7}
{Engine_Inertia}
{Gearbox_Inertia}
{Cx_Length}
{Cx_Height}
{Transmission_Primacy}
{Top_Speed_kmh}
{coef_accel}
{coef_brake}
{Brake_Balance}
Cornering Performance Parameters:
{Width}
{Lenght}
{Height}
{Track_Front}
{Track_Back}
{WheelBase}
{OverHang_Front}
{OverHang_Rear}
{Gravity_Center_Length}
{coef_overturning}
{SteerLock}
{coef_sharpness}
{Ride_Height_Front}
{Ride_Height_Rear}
{Ride_Height_Max_Front}
{Ride_Height_Max_Rear}
{Suspension_Lenght_Front}
{Suspension_Lenght_Rear}
{Suspension_Rate_Front}
{Suspension_Rate_Rear}
{Damper_Rate_Front}
{Damper_Rate_Rear}
{coef_suspension}
Parameters which affect Straight Line as well as Cornering Performance:
{Cx_Height}
{coef_grip} - Note: Also affects top speed!? (Seems to be a TDU physics engine quirk)
{Weight_Kg}
Other Parameters:
{Ignition_Time_Ignite}
{Ignition_Time_RevUp}
{Ignition_Time_RevDown}
{Ignition_RPM}
OBSCURE PARAMETERS
Here is a list of some of the more obscure or hard to understand parameters in the 'TDU_CarPhysicsData.db' file
{Engine_Inertia}
Higher = A 'heavier' engine which takes longer to rev up & rev down. This results in lower acceleration & increases post 'throttle off' wheelspin (ie; Makes throttle induced wheelspin continue for longer after you come off the gas).
{Gearbox_Inertia}
Higher = A 'heavier' gearbox which takes longer to rev up and down. This results in lower acceleration, less engine braking & higher initial revs required to start moving (eg in 2nd gear). This will affect 'throttle off' wheelspin as well, but to a lesser extent than 'Engine Inertia'.
{Transmission_Primacy}
This parameter controls the front/rear torque split on a car. 100 = all torque is transferred to the front wheels, 0 = all torque is transferred to the rear wheels. This parameter is mostly relevant when the 'drive' parameter is set to 4WD, however it appears to have a minor effect on non-4WD cars as well, so it should be set correctly according to the car's 'drive' type.
Note: a 50/50 torque split will yield the best handling but is also a bit boring, pushing more torque to the rear wheels will produce a more exciting driving experience.
{coef_brake}
This is a multiplier for overall braking performance. Higher = Better brakes
{coef_accel}
This is a multiplier for overall acceleration performance. Higher = Faster acceleration (will override 'Top_Speed_kmh' if gearing & redline allows)
{coef_overturning}
Higher = Less Understeer
{Gravity_Center_Length}
= Front Weight Distribution %
{Cx_Length}
= Coefficient Drag (front to back). Higher = More drag = lower top speed. If you set the drag low enough you can pretty much keep accelerating until you hit the rev limiter in top gear. If you are unable to make your car go as fast as you have set the maximum speed to (with a reasonable amount of horsepower), check that this setting isn't high (eg; 0.3+). Due to the peculiarities of the physics engine, this setting may not be able to be set to the real world figure, so you may have to adjust to suit if you are having top speed issues.
{Cx_Height}
= Coefficient Drag (downward) otherwise known as downforce. Higher = More downforce = you are pushed down to the road more = better handling. This is really cool because if you drive fast and then look at the car sideways you can actually SEE the car being pushed down! How cool is that!? This setting needs to be put up to 2+ to have any noticeable effect. This parameter also affects top speed (think of it as applying more of the car's power to the road. It's not really like this in real life, but it is in the world of TDU!). However, be aware that too much downforce can make a car unstable at high speed. Downforce and grip also need to be balanced, too much of either will also cause instability.
{Car_RealName}, {Model_Name} & {Version_Name}
The only way to override the 'natural' manufacturer's name is to change a 'Model_Name' to be the Manufacturer name plus the model and version and then put the the number for the modified 'Model_Name' into the 'Car_RealName' setting. This will then override both 'Model_Name' and 'Version_Name' and show only 'Car_RealName'.
Note: it is probably best to leave 'Model_Name' and 'Version_Name' set to '53338427' (= blank / unknown) if you do this.
{Ride_Height_Front} & {Ride_Height_Rear}
= Affects how high the car sits in relation to the wheels. This parameter appears to be aesthetic only and has no effect on performance.
{Ride_Height_Max_Front} & {Ride_Height_Max_Rear}
Sets the maximum distance the wheels can travel upwards from the road toward the body, or conversely, how far they can travel downward from the body toward the road. A setting of 1 would allow the center of the wheels to travel up as far as the center of the body. A setting which is too high will allow the wheels to actually travel
under the road. The effect this parameter has appears to be aesthetic only and is best observed when cornering hard or going over large bumps (eg; the side of the road).
{Suspension_Lenght_Front} & {Suspension_Lenght_Rear} [Not 100% sure about this one, and yes, it is spelled incorrectly in the file]
Sets the length of the shock absorbers (or the lowest point that the wheels can move downwards in relation to the chassis). This setting seems to be backwards, ie; a lower setting results in longer suspension. There also seems to be an upper limit to this setting where the shocks cannot be any shorter (this may correlate to the 'Ride_Height' setting). To be honest, I can't actually tell what this does, or if it does anything at all as my results seem to be inconsistent.
{Suspension_Rate_Front} & {Suspension_Rate_Rear}
Shock absorber 'Spring'. Lower = 'softer' shocks (less spring strength), Higher = harder shocks (more spring strength). Needs to be adjusted in conjunction with the 'Damper_Rate' parameters as otherwise you can end up with an overly 'bouncy' or 'wallowy' car.
{Damper_Rate_Front} & {Damper_Rate_Rear}
Adjusts how much dampening strength the shocks have. Lower = Less Dampening (allows shocks to compress at a faster rate), Higher = More Dampening (restricts shocks to a slower rate of compression).
{coef_suspension}
Multiplier for suspension parameters. Lower = Softer / less springy, Higher = Harder / More springy
{coef_sharpness}
How fast the steering works. Lower = Slower, Higher = Faster.
{Brake_Balance}
Changes the distribution of the brake force between front and rear. 0 = 100% rear braking, 100 = 100% front braking.
SUSPENSION ADJUSTMENT NOTES
When adjusting suspension, I find that it is best to start with 'Ride_Height' to get the overall look of the car as you would like it, then check and adjust 'Ride_Height_Max' if your wheels are intruding on either the car body or the road. Now move on to 'Suspension_Rate' to limit maximum body movement as desired and you'll probably need to adjust 'Damper_Rate' as well to keep 'wallow / bounce' in check. I find in most cases that the front / rear pairs of settings between both 'Suspension_Rate' and 'Damper_Rate' are about the same or are exactly the same (eg; SR:100,80 & DR:100,80). Due to this, I tend to adjust all 4 at once by the same percentage and this seems to give the best results. 'Suspension_Lenght' doesn't seem to play a very big part (if any) in performance or aesthetics (that I can determine).
Note that setting suspension very 'hard' is not necessarily desirable as this will cause the car to loose grip more when traveling over bumps in the road. Another difficulty is finding a consistent, repeatable method to test your changes. I tend to find one piece of road (preferably with minimal traffic) with some corners, undulations and bumps and then try to drive it in the most consistent manner possible, ensuring that my speed, corner entry angle and steering input are as similar as possible between runs. It's not easy, but if you take a few runs to test each setting change then you should be able to get some consensus on the results. Also take note of the Driving Aid setting as this can dramatically alter your results if the setting is changed during testing.
'CHARACTERISTICS' PARAMETERS
'Characteristics' parameters are ones where you have the choice of a limited number of set options. Some of these have an effect on the performance of the vehicle, others are just informational.
Characteristic Parameters which affect Performance
Drive:
54356917 = 4WD
55356917 = RWD
56356917 = FWD
Note: You will also need to check/adjust 'Transmission_Primacy' to ensure that these settings work properly.
GearBox:
543531 = Auto
553531 = Semi-Auto
563531 = Sequential
573531 = Manual
Characteristic Parameters which are Informational Only
Engine_Localisation: (May affect location of engine sound)
543629 = Front
553629 = Central
563629 = Rear
Engine_Type:
543709 = 6-cyl in-line
544709 = V-twin
553709 = V8
554709 = Rotary engine
563709 = 4-cyl in-line
564709 = 3-cyl in-line
573709 = flathead 6-cyl
574709 = V16
583709 = V6
593709 = V10
603709 = V12
613709 = flathead 4-cyl
623709 = W12
Brakes_Characteristics:
5345936 = Double disc with 4-piston calipers
5355936 = Cross-drilled rotors and 8-piston high-performance brake
5435936 = Vented discs
5445936 = Single disc
5455936 = Cross-drilled rotors and 1-piston high-performance brake
5535936 = Discs
5545936 = Solid disc ABS
5555936 = Dual semi-floating petal Discs
5635936 = Drums
5645936 = Vented drilled discs
5655936 = Single petal disc
5735936 = Carbon-ceramic vented discs
5745936 = Solid disc
5755936 = Dual semi-floating disc
5835936 = Ceramic fiber discs
5845936 = Steel slotted vented discs
5935936 = VeDi-S-ABS
5945936 = Vented cross-drilled discs
6035936 = Di-S
6045936 = Dbl semi-float. drilled disc
6135936 = Di
6145936 = Fixed drilled steel disc
6235936 = VeDi-S
6245936 = Double drilled steel disc
10346936 = Di-S-ABS
Class:
73900264 = A
74900264 = B
75900264 = C
76900264 = D
77900264 = E
78900264 = F
78900264 = G
That's all for now, I'll update this post as I learn more! :)
MY CAR MODS
These performance mods are designed to work in conjunction with custom imported models for the corresponding cars. Basically with my performance mods I'm trying to get the cars as close to their real-world performance as possible, while still making them fun to drive (eg; In real life, the Veyron takes 10 seconds to stop from 400km/hr (which is pretty fucking fast!!), but this feels WAY too slow inside a game, so I generally don't stick with reality for this kind of thing. However, pretty much all of my cars have 100% accurate 0-100 and 100-0 times. Anyway, I'll post my completed mods here for anyone who's interested in using them. Note that I've made some custom name mods which may not line up with your vehicle name file (DB_US.bnk) so you may have to change the {Car_RealName}, {Model_Name} & {Version_Name} parameters back to their originals, otherwise you might get some strangely named cars! :D Note that these mod settings have now been fine-tuned for use with a wheel and pedals.
Cars I've finished so far
Note that I've had to manually wrap the settings lines because they're just too damn long to display. Just be sure to make them back into a single line again when you import them into your 'TDU_CarPhysicsData.db' file.
Bugatti Veyron (v2.3)
Replaces: Edonis
Settings:
1199178371;8649;60038407;59633427;73900264;1;1440800;56368917;60038407;1144182384;60038407;55438407;53338427;53338427;553629;623709;7993;1001;6000;1250;3300;6600;54356917;563531;7;
3,64;3,18;2,26;1,68;1,29;1,06;0,88;0,80;2;5735936;401;381;5735936;60338424;4;1999;4463;1212;1715;1618;2710;845;766;1888;150;150;219;192;65;65;133;133;100;100;100;20;45;0;0,35;1,50;45;45;60;
0,75;0,4;0,88;3000;1;74739427;92262406;55533427;5566317;2,5;5,7;407;103;0;0;0;10.3;230;143;1030;100;93;101;60;90;100;102;-1;1;303;303;1;100;303;109;
Porsche Carrera GT (v2.0)
Replaces: Farboud
Settings:
1218220598;74920;62938407;55438427;73900264;1;440000;55368917;6267567;1144453853;6247580;53503667;53338427;53338427;553629;593709;5733;605;8000;590;5750;8400;55356917;573531;6;4,44;
3,20;1,87;1,36;1,07;0,90;0,75;0;2;5735936;380;380;5735936;60338424;0;1320;4613;1166;1612;1587;2730;1016;867;1380;125;100;275;208;60;60;110;105;100;100;70;25;42;0;0,175;0,5;45;0;60;0,7;0,65;
0,8;4800;1;74739427;92262406;54533427;5566317;3,9;6,9;330;112;20;264;165;11,4;214;132;1000;98;86;100;70,8;90;106;104;-1;1;293;293;1;100;293;77;
2008 Skyline GT-R (v2.0)
Replaces: Nissan Skyline GTR R34
Settings:
924263229;8542108;53448407;61533427;74900264;1;69850;58538407;5956567;1209560423;5956567;53338427;53448407;53338427;543629;583709;3799;473;6400;588;3200;7000;54356917;563531;6;3,7;
4,056;2,301;1,595;1,248;1,001;0,796;0;2;5645936;386;386;5645936;59338424;1;1895;4655;1370;1590;1600;2779;863;902;1750;162;162;275;256;130;140;95;85;100;85;60;10;53;0;0,295;0,55;45;50;60;
0,4;0,6;0,5;3000;1;74739427;92261406;57533427;5566317;3,5;7,8;311;108;0;0;0;11.5;200;120;1000;105;76;103;78;98;100;100;-1;1;1040;1040;1;100;1040;111;
2007 Audi S3 (v2.1)
Replaces: Audi A3
Settings:
551683160;80715;58338407;60338427;77900264;1;44745;59368917;5376567;1209547961;5376567;53338427;58338407;62882366;543629;563709;1984;265;6000;350;2500;6350;54356917;563531;6;3,44;
3,357;2,087;1,469;1,108;0,85;0,7;0;2;5935936;345;310;5435936;53338427;1;1765;4230;1399;1522;1506;2578;892;760;1475;225;250;352;368;100;100;100;90;100;90;50;20;51;0;0,33;0,5;45;40;60;0,3;
0,35;0,9;3400;1;74739427;92261406;58533427;5566317;5,5;0;250;125;0;0;0;0;0;0;1000;103;76;88;71,4;85;100;100;80;0,5;211;211;1;100;211;79;
Audi S3 QST-MTM Tuned (v2.1)
Replaces: Audi A3
Settings:
551683160;80715;58338407;60338427;77900264;1;59745;59368917;5376567;1209547961;5376567;53338427;58338407;62882366;543629;563709;1984;380;6000;450;2500;6350;54356917;563531;6;3,44;
3,357;2,087;1,469;1,108;0,85;0,7;0;2;5355936;400;360;5435936;53338427;1;1765;4230;1399;1522;1506;2578;892;760;1475;225;250;352;368;100;100;100;90;100;90;50;20;51;0;0,33;0,5;45;40;60;0,3;
0,35;0,9;3400;1;74739427;92261406;58533427;5566317;3,9;0;300;116;0;0;0;0;0;0;1000;103;76;83;75;85;100;100;80;0,5;211;211;1;100;211;79;
Ariel Atom II 300 (v2.0)
Replaces: Caterham CSR 260
Settings:
624463359;898117;60648407;56538427;74900264;1;41995;55933407;5896567;1209546053;5896567;62993667;53338427;53338427;563629;563709;1998;300;8200;259;7600;8600;55356917;573531;6;4,1;
3,38;1,76;1,18;0,89;0,70;0,58;0;2;5435936;240;240;5745936;53338427;0;1829;3416;1100;1600;1600;2375;632;150;649;90;90;210;195;190;200;55;55;50;50;40;20;55;0;0,70;0,5;45;0;60;0,35;0,42;0,9;
5000;1;77678427;92262406;55533427;5666317;2,7;6,9;248;0;0;0;0;12,4;0;0;1000;101;148;100;66;95;100;105;-1;1;71;71;1;100;71;65;
BMW M6 (v2.0)
Replaces: Ford Mustang GT
Settings:
1221757198;77060;61038407;55438427;76900264;1;96795;54638407;5446567;1209545115;5446567;54403667;53338427;53338427;543629;593709;4999;500;7750;520;6100;8250;55356917;563531;7;3,62;
3,985;2,652;1,806;1,392;1,159;1;0,833;2;5645936;373;371;5645936;53338427;0;1855;4871;1377;1567;1584;2781;960;1130;1785;180;195;352;336;90;110;110;100;110;100;90;17;54;0;0,22;0,5;45;0;60;
0,85;0,4;0,9;3000;1;74739427;92261406;57533427;5566317;4,4;9,5;330;112;0;0;0;12,5;185;115;1000;103;84;100;50;78;100;100;-1;1;118;118;1;100;118;95;
Porsche 911 Turbo (997) (v2.1)
Replaces: RUF T12
Settings:
699182101;7932;60633407;53338427;74900264;1;129685;54638407;5926567;52942344;6266567;61893667;53338427;53338427;563629;573709;3596;480;6000;620;1950;6600;54356917;573531;6;3,44;3,82;
2,14;1,48;1,18;0,97;0,79;0;2;5735936;350;350;5735936;53338427;2;1852;4450;1300;1490;1548;2350;943;1002;1588;140;140;246;246;75;75;110;120;110;120;50;15;45;0;0,35;0,6;45;40;60;1;0,6;0,9;5500;
1;74739427;92262406;57533427;5566317;3,7;8,4;311;116;21,5;0;0;11,4;205,8;127,9;1000;97;84;89;75,6;90;110;100;-1;1;210;210;1;100;210;111;
Cars still in development
1991 Honda NSX
I will also be checking the following cars for accuracy and modding if necessary:
Audi RS4
Lamborghini Murcielago
Koenigsegg CCR
Lexus IS 350
In case you are wondering, yes, these cars represent my top 10 perfect garage :D (with the exception of the M6 & 911, which I respect), the details of which can be viewed
here (down near the bottom of the page) for anyone who cares :)
HOLY FUCK THAT'S A LONG POST!! :D
More updates to come!
ENJOY!! :D
Edit (19/9/2009):
- Listed all parameters which affect the performance of the vehicle
- Added other 'Characteristics' parameter details
- Updated 'Carrera GT' to v1.1 with latest tweaks to fix top speed, 0-100 & 100-0km/hr performance
- Re-wrote 'Suspension Adjustment Notes' to reflect new information
- Added 'Audi S3' & 'S3 QST-MTM Tuned' settings to my completed models
Edit (26/9/2009):
- Minor changes to descriptions of 'Gearbox_Inertia' and 'Transmission_Primacy'
- Added 'Ariel Atom 2 300' settings! (This is a really fun car to drive!)
Edit (3/10/2009):
- Added BMW M6 & Porsche 911 Turbo settings to completed models
- Minor updates to all other cars
- Re-wrote 'Transmission_Primacy' sections to reflect new information
- Added detail to 'Drive' section to reference new 'Transmission_Primacy' info
- Added detail regarding letters after each parameter in 'TDU_CarPhysicsData.db'
- Added 'Class' settings
- Uploaded modify spreadsheet template
Edit (11/10/2009):
- Corrected S3 gearbox setting (should be sequential, not manual)
- Fine-tuned all cars for use with a steering wheel and pedals. All cars are now final! (v2.0), but I still have to do the NSX.
Edit (13/10/2009):
- Adjusted Veyron handling slightly to improve high-speed cornering (now at v2.1).
Edit (5/2/2010):
- Adjusted Veyron acceleration and top speed for v1.2 of the Veyron model, which also resolved the 'stuck revs' issue! (Veyron now at v2.2).
Edit (7/2/2010):
- Adjusted Audi S3 & QST-MTM Tuned to correct 0-100 times (Both S3s now at v2.1). Also added additional notes for coef_grip & Cx_Height.
Edit (9/2/2010):
- Adjusted Porsche 911 handling (was too much oversteer), now at v2.1.
Edit (13/2/2010):
- Adjusted Veyron weight (I had it set incorrectly!) and high speed handling (Veyron now at v2.3).
Edit (14/3/2010):
- Corrected entries for 'Gearbox Inertia' & 'Engine Inertia' as they were incorrect!
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