I plan to create a Car Racing game, sort of like a 3d version of the classic Pole Position. I can easily enough make the models needed for the game but would like some suggestions on how the best way to go about this sort of project. I was thinking of creating the Landscape which you drive on as a 3d Model which the camera just travels along but I''m not sure if OpenGL will be able to handle this detail. Anyone have any ideas about how the best way of creating the roads and scenery, and moving them so it looks correct. I am relatively new to OpenGL but I am very keen to get into it. I would be very grateful to any help or websites users could give me to help in this problem. Thanks

Yes, you can create the landscape as one big 3D model and perhaps is it a good idea for a very simple racing game. You must understand that it will have builtin limitations that you can not easily change. The landscape would of course be rather simple and far from commercial quality but why not for a little project?

I would start by making a program for just drawing some simple shape like a cube along a track. You have some decisions to make about how to do it.

Something simple like this can easy be something rather complicated. If you are not so experienced is it probably better to study the tutorials and books until you feel more comfortable with OpenGL.

Hi,
You could look at TreadMarks from www.longbowdigitalarts.com, a racing game that allows full freedom. They used a binary triangle tree to create the landscape.

You could also limit the players freedom... Let''s say the racecourse is a tube. Then create a linked list of tube pieces.

When you render the course you just have to check in which segment the player is and in what direction he is looking. Then you just draw let''s say 20 segments starting from the players position..... That way you can create verry detailed courses...

Thanks for the advice everyone, I would love do get as much information as possible about navigating the landscape. Of course the problem after that will be collision detection but first things first. Anyone have any idea how detailed this lanscape could be. At the moment I just plan to create quite a detailed environment in a 3D program and just import that, is this the right way to go about this?

If you create the scene, and import, it will be rather static, unless you get really involved. ie.. Trees dont blow up, buildings dont get scarred ect, but those things arent to important in raceing.

And yes COLLISION DETECTION is VERY important, please dont do like Nascar4, the collisioin Detection is VERY poor in that Commercial game, Which is why it never gets played here.

You can not have a very detailed landscape if it is just one big model. First things first so you should start with the game logic. How the game works affects how you should create the landscape.