Revisiting the Changing Weather Patch Mod

[Shovas]

Update 2019-11-28: Added some observations below under "My Observations"

I've been trying out the Changing Weather Patch mod again lately. I had dismissed it earlier because I thought it introduced some instability but I think I'm wrong about that and I thought it was a good time to check it out again.

Do a web search for "gtr2 changing weather patch" to find a download. I don't own the mod so I'm hesitant to upload it here.

Once you have it simply extract the files, including gtr2wx.exe, into your GTR2 folder, and then double-click gtr2wx.exe to launch GTR2.

You may have noticed GTR2, with the latest official patches, always has the same temperature progression: 20C then warms up to 30C. It never deviates. Doesn't matter the track or time of day. Nighttime doesn't even get colder, like it does in real life (unfortunately doesn't seem fixed by this patch). But with this patch you will notice it's different every session. I had a session that started and stayed around 32C ambient and 44C track. I just now had a session that started at 13C and stayed there and the track was 22C during that time. One thing I'm not seeing is the day warming up significantly and cooling off. Maybe I need to test more.

I think I've witnessed some subtle weather changes like no rain to light rain but I don't think I've seen massive swings yet. Maybe that's for the best, who wants sunny to tsunami? I mean if it's super rare sure but it shouldn't normally be like that.

I recommend trying out this patch to bring back an intriguing element of the original game.

I'm interested to hear feedback on your experience with it.

My Observations

- Problem: Temperance variance too wide: Can be 10C Ambient and 20C Track or 30C+ Ambient 40C+ Track

- Problem: Temperature doesn't go up during the day and down during the night

- Problem: Temperature doesn't go down with rain meaning wet tires overheat on a wet track because the track temperature doesn't go down being wet

Theory: I don't think these problems are solvable but a good work-around might be to replace the UserData\LOG\weather.txt with a 'good all-round' weather file that can address the first two issues (I think).

PS. Please let me know where min/max track temperature configs might be found if you know. I'd be interested in deep diving that.

Updates

- Update 2019-11-28: Added some observations below under "My Observations"

 

[Bjarne Hansen]

I tried +20 races a few months back with the weather patch and only got one light rain to dry weather change. And that was inside the first minute of the race.
But I did see the temperature changes so it dos work.

I use a modified steam Gtr2.exe as it is unprotected and easy to implement the patch in the code so no need to run the patch.

 

[Jempy]

Finally I think that creating his own weather change file is the only best way to have such a changing weather.

Of course there's no surprise in the race itself, as you know what you created with the tool .... but you're sure to get light rain, a bit of sun, a heavier rain followed by a light rain to finally come back to a sunny weather, changing temperatures and sky.

NB: maybe modifiying this value in the track gdb: Average rain = 0.3 ( for central Europe ) to a bigger average should enhance the possibility of changing weather ?

 

[Bjarne Hansen]

Finally I think that creating his own weather change file is the only best way to have such a changing weather.

Of course there's no surprise in the race itself, as you know what you created with the tool .... but you're sure to get light rain, a bit of sun, a heavier rain followed by a light rain to finally come back to a sunny weather, changing temperatures and sky.

NB: maybe modifiying this value in the track gdb: Average rain = 0.3 ( for central Europe ) to a bigger average should enhance the possibility of changing weather ?

I agree a Weather file is the sure bet to change the weather.
Modifying Average rain = 0.x to a higher value just gave me higher chance of constant rain.
Think it just a multiplier of chance of a rain day?

Only think I find strange is that is did change one time for me out of +20 races so there might be a value somewhere that could increase the randomness of rain.

 

[Shovas]

I tried +20 races a few months back with the weather patch and only got one light rain to dry weather change. And that was inside the first minute of the race.
But I did see the temperature changes so it dos work.

I use a modified steam Gtr2.exe as it is unprotected and easy to implement the patch in the code so no need to run the patch.

What do you mean you don't run the gtr2wx.exe patch? You edit gtr2.exe yourself?

Were you who I was talking to on nogrip, before it shut down, who was working on editing the exe for weather?

 

[Bjarne Hansen]

Were you who I was talking to on nogrip, before it shut down, who was working on editing the exe for weather?

Yes it is pretty simple with a Hex editor!
Look for hex string.: 54, 65, 73, 74, 44, 61, 79
And change to: 52, 61, 63, 65, 00, 00, 00
Only works with the Steam version of gtr2.exe as the NoCd is protected from making changes.
I did a few other changes but nothing real important PM if you want the changed .exe

 

[Shovas]

Update 2019-11-28: Added some observations below under "My Observations"

Updated OP with my observations so far. There are some drawbacks that I think make it not worth using but an alternative is suggested to work-around the problems.

 

[John Bergqvist]

Yes it is pretty simple with a Hex editor!
Look for hex string.: 54, 65, 73, 74, 44, 61, 79
And change to: 52, 61, 63, 65, 00, 00, 00
Only works with the Steam version of gtr2.exe as the NoCd is protected from making changes.
I did a few other changes but nothing real important PM if you want the changed .exe

Are you sure? Because the Readme with the original patch (and the source code with the patch shows it changes those same hex values as you've said above) says this:

This works only with the
unprotected GTR2.EXE (size 6181888, MD5 sum
075f5bcb9d530ef0682372ec58bfe2ab) from "Reloaded".

Yet I have that very file (MD5 is correct), yet when I open it in a hex editor, that hex string is not present. Also, the source code for the original patch specifies an offset from which to begin patching from, yet the EXE is too small for that offset to exist...

 

[Bjarne Hansen]

My instructions works with the Gtr2.exe that comes with steam!
The Readme refer to the gtr2.exe NoCd version.
That is wwrite protected therefor the memory manipulation.
Let me know how it goes or I can send you the 'fixed' version.

 

[Caribstu]

PM if you want the changed .exe

Yes Please. RipeBanana@graphic-designer.com
Thanks.