WIP Tail of the Dragon / Deal's Gap 1.0.1

There's nothing to download. I will get to amending this map next month. For now with the existing download, just delete the motel folder as stated above from the map .zip file, and you should be fine. Don't run it before-hand or the map will always crash on load, until you clear cache.

 

Gave this a shot, but not working for me unfortunately.

 

Crash on loading without vehicle or map appearing 1st, motel folder is still there but cache folder was not.
Crash on loading while still on the loading screen, cache OR cache + motel folder still there!
It does work. Remove cache and remove other mods if it helps temporarily. If you have other maps which crash on load, please remove those too just in-case... other maps that cause crashes include:
Nevada Interstate, Black Hills (any version), as they're both the same map. These also share the hotel asset as it was only re-skinned for this map.
Glass view Mountains, also causes crash on load possibly for some people but this is unconfirmed, though it might be fixed now. Think that's Bobby Boulgat's map IIRC I would have to ask him about it but don't take my word for it.

It has worked for other folks, so make sure you nailed the right cache folder please. It's not so much the cache/levels/mapname folders it's the SHADERS folder within the cache that gets corrupted on 1st map load (with the motel) and causes the game to bomb. If you don't MAKE mods you can safely delete your older version cache folders to reclaim a few GB or 1GB of disk space, too.

 

Thank you

 

Thanks, I’ll try this out!

 

Derp, this works now?
Just loaded in a fresh copy, glad I didn't change this one yet...
Was about to delete the motel and I was like, where is my folder, thought I deleted it already... loaded map, much to my surprise, it's working.


Need someone else to confirm this.

 

Last time I tried the motel fix, it didnt work, but I will try again tonight with a fresh download of the current release. Ill report back.

 

Works for me too.
It doesn't crash buuuuut.
There's some invisible building here. No idea what it is.

 

Apparently the new update for Beam Drive just dropped recently. I downloaded the update, then I downloaded a fresh copy of the Dragon's current release. It works!!!!! You done brung a smile to my face. Works beautifully on my end, and so seamlessly now that I have proper hardware.

I ran half of the Tail with the street-custom Sunburst, then turned around and respawned with the RV. I think I'm better at driving an RV slow than a fast car fast, lol. Regardless, it was pleasure to run the RV with a line of 5 AI behind me, as I drove 17 miles an hour, squaring off every corner. Good times!

PS, GamerGull's AI App seemed to work as well on this map as on any other map. My computer CPU started to flirt with 140F once I hit 6 AI cars. More than enough I think for this road....

 

GamerGull's AI app works BEAUTIFUL on this map. I played two hours of it two nights ago when I only sat down to test it for 15 minutes. Oops.
I used 8 vehicles here + my own vehicle, that's about the limit for my venerable-but-still-just-good-enough 4+ year old i7 4790k - long live the 4790k - limit that my processor can do with real-time 30FPS average. Any more and it gets too slow (either video or processor holding things up - I think it's 50/50 here). I entirely recommend this.
140F even 160F is just fine and won't hurt your hardware. My processor regularly gets to high 150F range in winter and 165F~167F in summers (max), when I run it to the hill with lots of cars in this game. You won't kill it with that. 185F~200F and above might shorten the life of it a little though - that's 90~95C territory. 212F = 100C = shutoff on most systems. Some T-junction at 80~90C (depending on nanometer process in CPU used, age, motherboard used), will drop speed, and above 95~100C it will shut off. There are a few outlier chips that will go to 105C though.
A good general rule is, to keep a computer healthy a long time, do not go above 80~85C, at worst for short time, 90C. Hitting 88~92C or above can and will cause eventual failure. Every video board (in this example) that has gone above or regularly gotten to 88~92C (nvidia reference GTX 260!) has died an untimely and admittedly early death (not before filling my ears with that annoying dying-rat-screamage we call COIL WHINE for months/years). Also why I run Radeons now (can't stand coil whine; it does that, OUT IT GOES). Nothing like remembering firing up a game of STALKER 10 years ago only to hear REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE so loud I couldn't hear the background music or any NPC's that weren't right next to me. I DO NOT miss it - and haven't bought a high-end Nvidia GPU in 10 years because of it. That being said this is getting more off-topic, but cheaper motherboards using analog VRM, or those that don't separate sound circuitry well, even cheap PSU's can do it, too.
Sorry for the rant - but 140F is nothing to worry about buddy. As long as it's got plenty of ventilation and fresh air - and you clean it regular - you should have a happy computer.

I may decide to leave this map as-it-is for just a bit longer since it's working again (I only wish to fix these things if they are totally broken, fixing minimal fusses that don't affect playability would cause me to have to hire people to maintain them - won't get to that).

That being said, if anyone has any issues with any of my maps, give me a shout-out and let me know so I can make sure everyone is happy!

In other news - my back is in transition right now - it doesn't know which way (of generally screwed up royally and unfixable) it wants to be - each day is different.
I've been going to the Chiropractor a month now. You should hear all the snapping and crunching. First time was great, no pain from it (or very little) for hours. Next day I still hurt, but hey - one afternoon/evening without my back pain and hey that's awesome. Was going twice a week. Now however, after a month, I can't get in the car and drive a mile or two from the doctor before it's out again. All things considered though - it cut my migraines in half and my sciatic nerve isn't acting up as much (these are nerves that run through the inside of your thighs, they HURT LIKE HECK when you pinch them!). I still don't have improved mobility aside of maybe the first week - and if I do anything physical - back still goes out. I was in just as much pain 30 minutes after leaving the Chiropractor as I was before as-of Monday - extreme pain in between my shoulder-blades and up through my neck - and couldn't drive with my left hand on the wheel. They told me to take IBprufen - I said REALLY, REALLY, did you get your license from a crackerjack box, you think I'm going to spend (too much! Thanks Medicare! /S ) for a doc to tell me to take 'I had a little booboo' pills??? I resisted temptation to show the doc what REAL pain is like - knuckled under my desires - and just said 'Look I've been there OK, this is serious'. Here, the government, with it's war on prescription medication has these doctors so scared to prescribe anything that our war veterans and serious chronic pain sufferers are either committing suicide or turning to the 'street doctors' for a fix. That's just SAD. That's NOT an option (I mean, it's there, but it's still not an option for me). 'The Bob' does not drink (well maybe a shot or two a year on holiday in my own home when offered), and doesn't put anything in his body he can't talk about in this forum! I have enough health issues already.

Don't worry, nothing is going to happen to 'The Bob' besides 'The Bob' getting another doctor soon - IDIOTS! I didn't spend that money at the doctor to have them tell me what I already know.
Grrrrr....

Sorry for the rant. The pain and sheer AGONY of it all has made me a bit quiet lately.
More regular picture updates will follow shortly in the coming days.

 

Yeah, those temps aren't a concern. I have an i5-3570K that's been running 4.4 Ghz at 150 F for about 2014 and it's just fine.
And Bob, I might recommend you try and find a physical therapist if at all possible. I'm probably a bit biased by having a few in my family, but chiropractors treat symptoms, PTs treat causes. Of course, I don't know how difficult it would be to find one. Hopefully you can find something to help with you pain, I've seen how bad it can be.

 

I just saw my ex-rays today for the first time (aside of at the doc for a few moments in 2013 which didn't tell me much), as I was at the doc for therapy and an x-ray.
Arthritic build-ups, especially on my tail-bone of all places (causes extreme burning / slight stabbing sensation) - though my whole body has arthritis.
Entire lower back is curved to the one side - and it doesn't have the curvature front to back that it should - Skulliosis it's generally called though not sure if I spelled it right.
One leg is a half-inch (at-least!) longer than the other. Not good - That isn't helping things any and is exacerbating the issue with the spine curve.
I am going to therapy twice a week at the Chiro, it's helping some, but there's only so much you can do. I wish they could just open me up and scrape off all the Arthritis. I snap, crackle, and pop more than a generic box of Rice Krispies (and maybe even more than the genuine brand name one too). Therapy is good though and at-least once or twice a week I have a few moments with less pain.
That and therapy can't do you any justice if you can't relax (due to pain) to allow the bones to spread apart (or be adjusted).
There are no pain-free days anymore, there's no other way to sugar-coat that (or say it nicely).

I appreciate the kind words though - many thanks. It's very tough now but within a month it'll be considerably warmer and that will do wonders to lift my spirits. It's so night when you can get the [expletives deleted] out of the [more expletives] house and actually not freeze on the spot immediately outside the door (shivering = extreme PAIN).

Until next time, I think I will go ahead and fix the AI routes on the highway in Roane County tonight. That map needs the most attention out of all of them.
I will still keep mapping, I keep trucking on. I can be writhing in agony (as I am commonly), I can be all busted up, but no one's going to stop me from doing the one thing I can still do that causes the least bit of pain out of all things. That's mapping. It's one of the only sources of joy and satisfaction I've got left in life & I'm not letting this one go. The Bob's not going anywhere, work is not ceasing on maps, there will still be new things coming out as normal. Just one thing has changed, now I know better why I am in such a hurt locker all the time.

So rest assured. Looks like I better cozy up to a nice warm fire of burning floppy disks and hard drives because I'll be here quite a while (fine print: don't do that, burning electronics and plastic cause brain damage!).
Until next time!
--The Bob

 

I'll second the getting looked at by a PT if possible. Even if it's just to get more ideas for managing. As I start to age, it seems like I am in a continual state of learning what my body wants me to do to avoid or prevent weird aches or pains. Just the other day, I realized that driving a different car to work was enough to start making my knee ache and my achilles heel to flare up. It was because I started to take a car that was easier to get into, so I stopped using those particular muscles. They got weaker or less toned, and started aching. Such is the life of an out of shape desk jockey, lol. Make sure that the physical arrangement of your modding/computer setup doesn't cause problems. Maybe a standing desk might help? Or one of those weird chairs with no support to force you to use the stabilizing muscles in your back? Instead of listening to me though, a PT or even an OT may be able to give you safe ideas on how to arrange your workspace so that it is tolerable. Hoping that the spring weather will in fact lift your spirits high. Nothing like the approaching spring. In your part of the country, it is probably a beatiful experience to behold.

Regarding updates to the Dragon. I'm not seeing anything obvious that would need updating either. It seems to work just fine. I spent a couple of hours on it last night (probably 1.5 hours too many, but it was a rush with the street-tuned Sunburst version). Everything seemed hunky dory.

 

I am doing physical therapy currently, it's helping a bit, and do bench-press sometimes when it's not too cool in the garage to relax between reps (the garage has a heater but I don't like to run it unless I will be in there all day working on the Pessima - I mean Corolla). I have *A LOT* of muscle on my back from growing up working concrete construction (that's why my back is horrible at such a young age - I'm not even 40 yet!), I never really lost that, I can still carry my weight (200lbs) in a buddy-carry manner (fireman carry, depending on where you're from). It's detrimental to my back to pick up anything close to or over 20~30lbs, let alone anything near my weight is surely doom for it, but in an absolute emergency, I can do it (just need someone to straighten me out after-words). I used to spend my days carrying 100lbs Symon's Steel-Ply concrete form panels (80~100lbs depending on how much concrete was stuck on them), even before I was 18, being raised in a construction company. You learned work at a young age even if you had to drag what you couldn't carry across the job site (but I always had money for a nice computer even in the 90s!)... but in later years whenever danger reared it's ugly head and I had to defend myself, danger went *flying* away from me (of course, flying lessons are free, but the landing lessons are extra, heehee). So yes, entirely, I have the muscle - I will be the first to admit my chest doesn't look as it did when I was in my 20s, but the back muscle will entirely stay for my lifetime as it's what holds me together. Problem is, there's so much of it (to make up for what the skeleton cannot do), and it's always tense, I can't relax half the time because it has to be tense or I cannot walk without throwing something out badly. That tense amount of muscle on my back, plus high blood pressure moments along with more tensing from the PTSD, can really lock things up and cause a lot MORE pain. Oh well. I am slowly getting a grip on this train-wreck of a skeleton of mine... slowly but surely. It's better than nothing, and progress is progress.

So I think I will put Tail of The Dragon aside for the moment - since it works again and isn't broken in some way - and continue as I am, working on Roane County TN and Nevada side by side.
For those who missed it - Nevada gets new bridges - and Roane County gets new bridges and new AI routing (Nevada will have the AI double-and-triple checked, adjusted as necessary).
Roane County also needs countless texture errors / glitching fixed, railings and fences bugging out and not being transparent when they should be etc.
Maybe I will have the chance to throw in a few more homes or something. I'm giving Roane County TN max a week to work on (from today), so what gets done, will be in! Then it will be 3 days of Nevada (max), and back to Los Injurus for me. I've already upgraded 5~6 miles of interstate 40's AI paths so they don't drive down the shoulder. Likely will fix up the ramps, and will fix up the road from Rockwood town to Harriman downtown too as that's just like the highway. Going to put an upgrade on that plain highway texture too. Let's see how good I can make it.

Until then - that's all for now.
Thanks for the encourage comments from everyone, it's nice when people care, especially when you hurt like heck. It also makes it more rewarding to make maps for you folks.
"How can I have Arthritis in my tailbone when I DO NOT HAVE A TAIL!???" "lots of swears and screamage..."

--Cheers!

 

Ugh, I had a couple of neighbors in the concrete, or masonry business. Those really are tough jobs that can really wear out a body. Also had a carpet-layer friend who, despite being in being good shape, felt like a mess in his early 40s as well. Keep taking care of yourself my man. Apparently, you already know that part of staying sane with the crap life can throw at us, is to keep busy. You have found a great way to keep busy that brings lots of smiles to others. Believe it or not, it also brings relief to others as well. Just last night, being able to decompress by trying for faster runs on the Dragon was just what the doctor ordered for me.

I remember going through a spell of about 4-5 months where I had balance issues caused by an inner ear problem. During the worst of times, I could go weeks without really being able to think straight, I couldn't really write (at work), not to mention just feeling like utter crap, like the ship was listing hard to port in high waves. All I wanted to do was lay down and close my eyes, all. the. time. During that time, every once in a while, I could get the strength to just do the dishes. No joke, just doing the dishes made me feel content. Like I served a purpose, no matter how menial (it didn't fix things in my head, but gave just a bit of mental relief to push me to the next day). Really weird, but I guess it makes sense. We humans need to be doing stuff to feel good, and all the better when we can do things for others.

 

'Just doing the dishes made me feel content' ... I totally understand that, but I'll explain for others...
100% of the time I do stuff around my house I do it to feel content & fulfilled. Nothing to feel bad over, it's serving a purpose, if even only for good mental health.
3 things one needs in life or you won't have good mental health:
* A place to live / shelter
* Goals
* Means to achieve said goals (work, car to get there, job skills)

Sanity is always a constant battle if not busy, so this is my fix. I think it's an unselfish goal or means in & of itself, that will make many folks happy - but also something I can enjoy, too.
This game has SO much potential, even if it took Roane County or this map + Gamer Gull's Traffic tool to show just an inkling of it. I saw this experience when I was beginning to map. That's why the AI in general works as well as it does, in my maps (about perfect on Tail of The Dragon, I used *lots* of nodes in all corners and contours of the roadway for smooth AI driving). That's what I've wanted them to do all along.
Years (18~24 months ago, possibly a little more) I made a post in the forums here somewhere, it's likely STILL there somewhere - or in more than one place - about warping vehicles randomly around the player, when they get too far away. I am glad someone made something of it - or even if not seeing it - thought the same thing. This game can be SO MUCH MORE, it just needs time, more CPU cores, and a whole-lot of love.
When I saw BeamNG four years ago, I said "Wow this is awesome, but it can be SO MUCH MORE" ... more then it was at the time. I didn't like shoe-box panorama maps, so I made huge ones. Now that this 'dreams of what the game COULD be' is coming into reality, while I have a bit of adjusting to do here and there where the AI isn't getting along or doing exactly what it was supposed to (in Roane County), it's for the most part working well and going great.
My maps are made by someone who didn't generally cut any corners, it's someone who did this because they wanted to do it, not because 'they were paid to do it and just did the bare minimum', but by someone who wanted to make something for themselves & share it with others. If it doesn't sound fun I'm not interested in making it, but if it's fun, sure, I'm there, I'm totally 110% there.
From making Doom maps in 1994~1995 or so, on an AMD 486 dx/2 66, with 8mb of RAM (that was quite a bit then), to today, computers help us change things from dreams into reality. If you can dream it, it can be done, you just have to feed this box the right lines of code, the right models, and use the right game engine, and have a whole lot of time (and sanity), and it can be done.

I always wanted to make a race-track: so this desire became Nevada Interstate, and it's sequel So-Cal (which I always wanted to put a city in, and designed it as such, and am now building Los Injurus from it). Wanted to make race-tracks since I was a kid. So I made realistic maps that double as race tracks, because that to me is even MORE fun.
I wanted to make a huge open REAL world environment to drive for MILES AND MILES: That's Roane County (I have the editor open on it now, almost all of US 40 has perfect AI pathing now). They said it couldn't be done, and if it could, it probably shouldn't be done. I did it anyway and proved many wrong. There was, after-all, no reason technically for it not to work (even if it's not the most detailed as-per terrain and object limitations at the time), and if anything, it'd just be a little slow and a RAM hog. The slowness is gone, the RAM-hogging is less now, and it turned out to be FUN.
These dreams, combined with strong experience in Construction, both home and infrastructure construction, computers (very knowledgeable and build my own since the 90s), road engineering (lane configurations in the maps, bridge building in Los Injurus), and game design stuff I've picked up over my 25 years of computing, are all coming together. This is what I can do, and this is about all I can do, so if I could only promise one thing, and that there is a lot of mapping left in me, and a lot of fun ahead.

I will be here... no matter how many pieces I am in, still mapping if I must do so from my bed.
Just hope my 4+ year old computer doesn't decide to go to heaven or I will have to put up with an i3 2120-based computer or an FX 6300 AMD machine (ugh, NO!). When it's officially 5 years old, I will update it and buy a Ryzen (no more intel's, they run too HOT).
Until then, and even after, I'll be around, making maps, and improving existing maps, as it's much more fulfilling than blowing up explode-on-death Legendary Rad-Rats in Fallout 4 or Boomrats VS pigs epic battles in Rimworld (which is very often left open for a week at a time or more in the background).
Hopefully I live long enough - or World War III waits long enough to happen - that I can finish Roane County - but Los Injurus comes first
These are my goals, this is my means, and everyone else along for the ride won't be too bored or let down to say the least - hope so anyways.
The console kiddies don't know what they're missing... and Electronic Arts, we're coming for you, and we're going to take your bacon.
--Cheers!

 

just wanna say a big thanks for getting it fixed and good luck with therapy

 

...In a way, I wish I was mentally like you...I don't know the right word, but making the difference I guess?

 

Your welcome, but let's not forget to give a big shout-out to the developers, I was able to give them a heads-up a while back that something in the new shader system was bombing the game out when it hit certain textures, and someone in one of these threads - I think it was @Driv3r1142 if I am not mistaken, mentioned it was the motel, so it got narrowed down much faster.
That's working/thinking as a team... that's how things get done.

Well thanks, but I am more this way because I have to be then want to be. It's the way it works, though, for lack of a better explanation. You have to know your mind, and knowing a lot about the human brain will help you keep your brain working for you and not against you. If you don't feel well, chances are something is off, but finding that 'one thing' can be a needle in a haystack without knowledge, and they don't really teach that stuff in public school. Just don't start making sentences with half a dozen commas in them like mine and you should be golden :x
Progress is being done on Roane County TN for those interested. https://www.beamng.com/posts/1000647/
Working on textures. Should come out much nicer looking when it has it's next release.

 

After seeing that it was working again, I had to go for another ride - The traffic works perfectly, and makes the map come alive! It may hug the shoulders a bit, but I haven't seen a single collision with anything other than myself - To be honest, I like that they stay on the shoulder, as it is what is recommended in the real world riding/driving guide for the Dragon.

Still to date my most traveled road in all of BeamNG, besides perhaps the I-40 in Roane County.
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