All the mapping is done in your favorite 3D modeling program (we like Blender) and then exported to a format specific to our game. There are some things that can be done to make it easier though, like use the TORCS track generation tool to create the track model. We don't have any good documentation on this yet, because no one has created an original track for the game. All the tracks we have now were imported from other sources, mostly tracks created by the community of other games similar to VDrift (like Racer). There is one original track in the works however and I plan to start one as soon as I finish up the semester and graduate.
By the way, there is some useful information up on our
wiki which we've been trying to improve. It might answer some questions you have, but of course feel free to ask here as well.
For keyboard setup, the way I set it up when I test it is like this:
UP: gas
DOWN: brake
LEFT: steer left
RIGHT: steer right
W: shift up, engage clutch
S: shift down, engage clutch
SPACE: handbrake
Q: start engine
P: pause
[: previous camera
]: next camera
,: rewind replay
.: fast-forward replay
`: reverse gear
1: first gear
2: second gear
3: third gear
4: fourth gear
5: fifth gear
...etc.
F1 - F6: camera views
F12: screen shot
keypad is used for camera movement, +/- zooms in/out
Control Options for keyboard drifting
Analog Button Delay: short, off for slower cars
Speed Sensitive Steering: off
ABS/TCS: off
Auto-shift: off
Auto-clutch: off
Joystick Options do not matter for keyboard...
The big problem with the keyboard is trying to use the pedals and steer with buttons. Steering is especially hard. It takes playing with the analog button delay setting, and "pumping" the keys repeatedly to obtain the effect you desire...
To perhaps explain this better...since keys and buttons are essentially "digital" controls in that they are only either on or off, when you press them, the value goes from 0 to 1, or from none to all. If you use a key for the gas pedal, that's like stomping your foot on the gas as fast as you can, and holding it all the way down. What the analog button delay option does is slow down this process...you can see the difference if you turn on the Input Graph in Options -> Display.
Gamepads are pretty cheap, Logitech makes great USB dual-analog gamepads and they are way cheaper than a PS2 + GT3, even used...
I have an older WingMan Rumblepad that I got for $20 a long time ago. Looks like you can get them even cheaper now.
http://www.google.com/products?q=usb+log...mepad+dual
(btw, if you know where to get a PS2 and Gran Turismo 3 for $12 please tell me where
)
edit: Reading back over your post I noticed you mentioned you're using the mouse for gas/brake. Have you tried using the mouse for steering? You can set it up so that moving the mouse up/down does gas/brake too. This gives you an analog control for all the things that need it. You're right, the scroll wheel doesn't work right yet, we'll come up with a solution sooner or later...Also, I'd recommend having controls for the brake and the handbrake, if for no other reason that the handbrake sucks on most of the current cars.
