About LFS

An internet multiplayer race in S2 with the Formula XR

The amazing tyre flex physics in Live for Speed S2

Choose between various setup settings

An old LFS logo

An early development version of LFS

The GT Turbo in LFS v0.1 at an unpublished city track in Miami.

Live for Speed is an online racing simulator developed by Scawen Roberts (game engine), Eric Bailey (tracks & cars) and Victor van Vlaardingen (music, website, sales). Its main features are the realistic physic engine and internet multiplayer with up to 40 players. The game is only sold at the official website http://www.lfs.net. You won't find it in any shops as the developers want to stay independent from any publisher, so they can include exactly the features they want to have in the game and do not have to change the game according to some manager's opinion. Starting as a demo in August 2002 more and more people tried the game and joined the internet community. With a lot of development progress the first stage (S1) of the game was published in July 2003. Two years later (2005) the S2 Alpha version was released and was under development with fresh new updates every 6 months to a year, not including test patches. Now the S3 license is available with Rockingham, a new laser scanned track (more content scheduled for the S3 license). VW Scirocco and a completely re-written tyre physics engine are planned for the future. The three developers have a close connection to the community and they frequently visit the official forum to get ideas of what the players want to see in the game. All the new updates to the game are accessible by the auto updater from within LFS.

Physics engine

The outer loop of the physics and environment checks run at 100 Hz, but with 20 uninterruptable sub-updates inside that (tight loop on each car) so in one sense it's 2000 Hz physics.

History of LFS

• Sometime in 1999: Working on Lionhead's Black & White, Scawen starts to write a small stunt simulator with mouse steering in his free time
• Spring 2001: After the release of Black & White, Scawen and Eric leave Lionhead to work fulltime on LFS
• 18.08.2002: A user of the West Racing forum finds the demo test 0.04k on the internet and spreads the word about LFS: http://www.west-racing.com/forum/index.php?topic=958.0
• 19.09.2002: The official LFS forum starts at Race Sim Central: http://forum.rscnet.org/forumdisplay.php?f=205
• 17.07.2003: Release of Live for Speed S1, the first full LFS release
• 29.07.2003: The LFSWorld website goes online http://www.lfsworld.net/
• 25.06.2005: Release of the Live for Speed S2 Alpha
• 10.08.2005: The new official LFS forum goes online: http://www.lfsforum.net
• 28.05.2007: LFS Merchandise website: http://www.lfsshop.net
• 05.09.2014: LFS website is revamped: http://www.lfs.net
• 19.12.2015: S3 License available

Major LFS releases

• 18.08.2002: 0.04k - The first public LFS version ever
• 06.09.2002: 0.1B - Demo test with added reversed track configs
• 22.03.2003: 0.2A - Demo test, similar to S1 but without the new cars & tracks
• 17.07.2003: 0.3A - S1
• 05.04.2005: 0.5K - S2 Demo Alpha, features work-in-progress S2 physics but with only demo content
• 25.06.2005: 0.5P - S2 Alpha, physics improved since 0.5K but still in development, full S2 content available
• 19.12.2015: 0.6K - The S3 License is available

Complete list of LFS releases

Note that this list exludes the numerous test patches that have been released.

To see a complete history of LFS releases with all changelogs, see Version History or Version History (complete) (including all test patches).

Demo test era

• 18.08.2002: 0.04k - The first ever public version of Live for Speed
• 31.08.2002: 0.04Q - ???

• 06.09.2002: 0.1B - Major update, lots of bug fixes and surprises
• 11.09.2002: 0.1C - ???
• 15.09.2002: 0.1E - Greatly improved controller support
• 11.10.2002: 0.1F - Replays controls, more options and improvements
• 27.10.2002: 0.1H2 - Added multiplayer replays, other small improvements and bug fixes
• 09.11.2002: 0.1J - Small improvements and bug fixes
• 13.12.2002: 0.1N - Small improvements and bug fixes
• 30.01.2003: 0.1P - Small improvements and bug fixes
• 05.02.2003: 0.1Q - Small improvements and bug fixes
• 19.02.2003: 0.1T - Small improvements and bug fixes
• 04.03.2003: 0.1W - Mostly bug fixes

• 22.03.2003: 0.2A - Demo test, similar to S1 but without the new cars & tracks
• 02.04.2003: 0.2B - Uses UDP packets for car position updates, various minor fixes
• 02.04.2003: 0.2C - 0.2B had a bug and was replaced by 0.2C the same day
• 07.05.2003: 0.2D - Adds skins_x directory for other drivers' skins
• 01.06.2003: 0.2E - New SPR replay format (was GST format), added bump stops, gear ratios individually adjustable
• 25.06.2003: 0.2F - Master server IP change update

S1 era

• 17.07.2003: 0.3A - First release with paid for content
• 25.09.2003: 0.3B - Adds translations, fixes many bugs
• 30.10.2003: 0.3C - Allows up to 16 players to race online at once (previously 12), adds remote administration
• 31.10.2003: 0.3D - Small bug fixes
• 15.12.2003: 0.3E - Adds a new car (MRT5)
• 02.03.2004: 0.3F - Adds HVS support, in-game LFS World integration and makes changes to keyboard steering system (less assists)
• 08.04.2004: 0.3G - Reduces multiplayer warping, faster server browser, adds option to block chat messages
• 08.10.2004: 0.3H - Adds skid marks and improved online stability

S2 pre-alpha era

• 14.08.2004: 0.5A - Pre-alpha tested at the Games Convention in Leipzig, included MRT6 and LX8 GTR

S2 alpha era

• 15.01.2005: 0.5D - S2 CMX viewer released so work on S2 skins could begin
• 11.02.2005: 0.5F - Early alpha build leaked across the net at some point in March, S2 content included but only S1 content could be unlocked
• 05.04.2005: 0.5K - Demo content only with numerous WIP improvements from v0.3
• 30.04.2005: 0.5L - Updated demo with the addition of clutch pack differentials and improved tyre heating
• 17.06.2005: 0.5N - Updated CMX viewer released only
• 25.06.2005: 0.5P - First official release with full S2 content, up to 20 cars per server
• 27.11.2005: 0.5Q - Improved international support
• 18.04.2006: 0.5S - Updated CMX viewer released only
• 21.04.2006: 0.5T - Improved tyre & aero physics, a new car (BMW Sauber F1.06), two new configurations for Aston and much more
• 29.04.2006: 0.5U - Adds Outgauge system, server welcome messages, also fixes many small bugs
• 22.12.2006: 0.5V - New engine sound system, improved multiplayer, auto-patcher system and many small GUI and usability improvements
• 31.03.2007: 0.5W - Improved car sounds, various graphical updates, many small other improvements
• 08.06.2007: 0.5X - Improved multiplayer (up to 32 cars per server), pre-load added to clutch pack diffs, handicaps system, high-res skin downloading
• 08.07.2007: 0.5X10 - Adds force cockpit view option, lots of smaller usability improvements
• 21.12.2007: 0.5Y - Improved physics, updated tracks (South City and Blackwood), a new car (Formula BMW FB02), engine stall, clutch wear, AI improvement
• 02.07.2008: 0.5Z - New interiors for some cars, physics parameter updates, replay controls, demo licencing, and more langauge translations
• 28.10.2009: 0.5Z25 - Improved car shadows, new wheel drawing system, improved road car dashboards, ABS brakes on some road cars, improved and much faster List of Hosts, powerful and flexible multiple screen support
• 25.11.2009: 0.5Z28 - Installer, storage of multiple host passwords, added support for lfs://
• 17.06.2011: 0.6B - Open track configurations, autocross and object improvements, collision reporting system and other InSim changes, adjustable tyre warmers for hot lapping
• 30.11.2012: 0.6E - Multiplayer improvements – New "instant" join system for fast and reliable connection, new packet buffering and storage system, new hacking protection and cheat detection systems
• 21.06.2014: 0.6F - Support for 3D devices (3D TVs, Oculus Rift), DirectX 9 graphics engine
• 27.09.2014: 0.6G - Oculus Rift DK2 support, graphical improvements
• 02.04.2015: 0.6H - Rebuilt and extended version of the Westhill racing environment with additional configurations, full support for open configurations, improvements to the layout editor
• 15.08.2015: 0.6J - High performance update

S3 era

• 19.12.2015: 0.6K - The S3 license is now available with Rockingham, graphical improvements including new reflections and dynamic environment maps, AI improvements, support for HTC Vive
• 13.02.2016: 0.6M - Rockingham update, borderless window system and other fixes
• 24.03.2016: 0.6N - Updates in VR ("look and click" system, virtual keyboard) and audio
• 16.04.2016: 0.6P - Updates in VR and controller support
• 03.09.2016: 0.6Q - New system to simulate the mirrors realistically, full stereoscopic 3D mirrors in VR modes
• 28.01.2017: 0.6R - Rebuilt and extended version of the Blackwood racing environment (plus an industrial estate open area), minor improvements (shadows, track maps)

Missing versions in the list were only released to the beta team for testing

For more details see http://www.liveforspeed.net/?page=oldernews

The development Team

• 

  fltr.: Eric, Victor, Scawen

• 

  Scawen Roberts (and Leo)

• 

  Eric Bailey

• 

  Victor van Vlaardingen

• 

  The dev team presenting the S2 Alpha in Denmark 2004

Interviews

• Victor, demonews dec 1994
• Scawen, planetb&w - feb 2001
• All, BHM - nov 2002
• All, doupe.cz - April 2003
• Eric, Boomtown - dec 2003
• Victor, ZockerTempel - jul 2004
• All, teamnic - Sept 2004
• Victor, planet3dgames - march 2005
• All, simracingportugal - Mar 2005
• Victor, lfs.dk - march 2006
• Victor & Scawen, Autosimsport May 2006 (p25)
• All, lfs.no - Sept 2006