CSC57: The Long Road to Hell and Back (completed)

CSC57: The Long Road to Hell and Back

Previous CSC

This is the very first CSC57 I’ve hosted, yay! Also, this overwrites earlier lore as well, but considering the numerous and comprehensive changes made to 4.2 since the original version was posted, it’s likely for the best.

Background

SVM Design Studio, Burbank, CA, USA, September 1993 - Deep within the SVM Design Studio in Burbank, the company’s design team has a huge problem. Almost a decade has passed since the introduction of the current generation of the company’s flagship sports car, the Hellblazer, and for all its merits, it is now starting to show its age. Meanwhile, its replacement, due for introduction in 1994 as a 1995 model, has just had its engine, body/chassis material, and suspension signed off, but none of SVM’s in-house exterior design proposals has passed inspection from the higher-ups. That’s where you come in - you will be given an existing test mule, complete with engine, but no fixtures whatsoever. However, you must not submit this mule to me in return; instead, you must create a completely new model for your submission.

Previous Hellblazer

The 1984 Hellblazer’s faceted styling was all the rage when it launched in 1984, but after 10 years on the market, it’s beginning to look and feel dated.

Your task is to give the next-gen Hellblazer the styling it deserves, to serve as a fitting halo car for the company in a new era. The rules are as follows:

  • Before you start, you may (optionally) download this file (which contains the test mule that will provide the engine) and save it in the AutomationGame/Saved/UserData/CarSaveImport folder - after it has been imported, you may use its engine in your entry to see if it fits, and I will check on my end as well:

CSC57_-_Test.car (15.4 KB)

Body set rules

The restrictions on body choice are as follows:

  • Front engined, RWD only
  • Body unlock year no earlier than 1983 and no later than 1995 (the latter avoids use of anything too futuristic)
  • Must be a 2-door, 2-seater coupe (not a convertible, and definitely not a truck/ute, SUV, people mover/van or hatchback) with maximum seating capacity of +2 in the rearmost row (in front-engined configuration) and capable of accommodating the engine from the test mule in longitudinal orientation
  • Wheelbase must be between 2.5m and 2.7m inclusive (after rounding up)
  • No legacy bodies (I don’t have the appropriate mod downloaded or installed)
  • Morphing is generally free, but it should have realistic FR proportions (the base of the A-pillar should not be too far forward).
How to test if maximum rear row seating capacity is +2

The seating configuration in the interior tab must look like this:
2seat

Or this:
2+2

This means that the body set can accommodate a 2-seater or 2+2 configuration at most. However, this is not allowed:

2plus2

The setup above is a 2+2 configuration in a body set that can accommodate 2 or more full-sized seats in its rearmost row. The next two seating configurations aren’t allowed either:

4seat

Above: 4 seats. Below: 5 seats.

5seat

Examples of realistic and unrealistic FR proportions

This is an example of realistic FR proportions, with the base of the A-pillar set well back, far enough behind the front axle line.

This, on the other hand, is not an example of realistic FR proportions - the base of the A-pillar is too far forward and too close to the front axle line.

General rules

  • Model and trim year must both be set to 1995.
  • Do not make any changes to the engine - SVM already froze the specifications for those some time ago.
  • Leave the tech pool and quality at +5 and 0 everywhere, respectively.
  • Below is the logo for the Hellblazer - don’t forget to use it! At the very least, place it on the front of the car, either on the hood or the grille (or both).

logo

Engineering rules

  • Price is not important - this is a halo car, after all. However, regardless of your body choice, it must have the following combination of chassis type, body/chassis material, and suspension:

In other words, the new Hellblazer must have a longitudinally oriented, front-mounted engine, a glued aluminum monocoque chassis with aluminum panels, double-wishbone front suspension, and multi-link rear suspension.

  • With the above rules in place, this is still a mostly design-based competition. However, SVM wants a contemporary look, not an overly retro or futuristic one. You may use the examples below as inspiration for your design.
Inspirations

  • An interior is not required, nor will it be judged, but you may make one if you wish.
  • The design team prefers some exterior colors over others - details are shown below.
Advice on exterior colors

Regarding exterior colors, SVM’s chief design team has a wide range of favorite colors, including bright primary colors (true red, solar yellow with an orange bias, and sky blue), deep metallic colors (ruby/burgundy red, emerald/forest green, navy/sapphire blue, and royal purple); their least favorite colors include pale mint/pastel colors, any matte colors, overly earthy green/brown, grey with too little flake, neon lime green/hot pink, and they are indifferent to any kind of black, white, or silver.

Submission Guidelines

  • Submissions commence on April 18th, 2023, 12:00 am GMT (before which discussion regarding rules will be allowed) and close on May 2nd, 2023, 12:00 am GMT. Be sure to send in your entries via forum DM (not Discord) during that time period.
  • Make sure to set both the Car Model and Engine Family names to “CSC57 - your forum username”.

Good luck, and have fun!

2 Likes

holy shit this might be the most unique CSC yet, a really neat idea tho. Cant wait to either see how it goes or compete and fail horribly

3 Likes

That doesn’t work for me, brother. We need to be able to choose the body and morphs for the design to be truly unique. Yes, true, real-life car design does have you work around engineering hardpoints, but you should have just put in a wheelbase guideline/limit and stated what the expected proportions are. A CSC with only one available body is no CSC at all.

9 Likes

if not the body, at least let us pick the morphs

2 Likes

With that in mind, I am considering opening up this CSC to multiple body sets within a set wheelbase range, and allowing free adjustment of morphs.

3 Likes

It’s your challenge so it’s up to you if you want to change the rules, but the way I see it is. The challenge here is to make a variety of different designs on one body, if people don’t like it no one is forcing their hands to actually enter.

I’ve heard an opinion from someone who’s in favor of my idea, and one from someone who’s against it. With that in mind, I’ll make a poll: Should I open this CSC up to multiple body choices (in which case I’ll allow free morph adjustment) or not?

  • Yes
  • No

0 voters

The poll above will close no later than the same time this challenge opens to entries. However, if a particular option is sufficiently favored before then (around 75% or so), I will go with that one and disregard the other.

1 Like

Might as well post my opinion in the thread.

So I think there are some good and bad things about the way that CSC is currently set up, and I’ll just bullet point my opinions on them.

The good:

  • I actually quite like the decision to limit body choice, and though the body is a bit old and janky, as a whole the body choice is good. Especially as it is now, this round is the only time that body choice has been limited in this way, and I think opening it up would be a mistake and take away from the originality and interest that this limitation can provide. Though, I also believe that this kind of limitation should remain novel for this challenge and not become a regular thing - If you want this kind of limitation, ARM is good for that.
  • I really like the choice to limit engineering - CSC is primarily a design challenge, and it makes sense to me for design to be the primary, or even only goal.

The bad:

  • Though limiting body choice as it is is a good and original idea for CSC, I do not believe that limiting morphs as thoroughly and completely as it is is a good idea. I can see the argument for limiting a few morphs or putting a limit on morphs that change the shape of the body as a whole, however many of the morphs that are currently locked end up being part of fixture heavy areas such as the front and rear bumpers. These morph limits end up being circumvented anyway by body morphing and fixtures, and end up adding unnecessary jank that could be removed by simply removing the morph limit.

TL;DR:

  • Body choice being limited as it is currently is a new and novel idea for CSC, and to open it up would make the round as a whole less interesting, however limiting body choice like this for future rounds may end up grating or annoying - As an exception to the rule, I think this is a good change.
  • Morphs being limited as they are currently may be new and novel, however it directly detracts from possible designs and further limits possibilities on the (admittedly) already quite limiting body. I think these limits should be looked at and de-regulated or even removed entirely.
  • If you agree with me, you should vote No on the above poll, to preserve the originality present in the round as-is.

6 Likes

A little late, but in the time since I created my poll, more users have voted for opening this CSC up to multiple body sets (with mostly free morphing zones) and wheelbases, proving that in general, my decision not to allow free choice of body set and free adjustment of morphing zones was a mistake for a CSC, and in retrospect was something left for an ARM. To that end, I am allowing free choice of bodies and morphing adjustments under the following conditions:

  • Front engined, RWD only
  • Body unlock year no earlier than 1983 and no later than 1995
  • Must be a 2-door coupe (not a convertible) with maximum seating capacity of +2 in the rearmost row (in front-engined configuration) and capable of accommodating the engine provided in the test mule in longitudinal orientation
  • Wheelbase must be between 2.5m and 2.7m inclusive (after rounding up)
  • No legacy bodies (I don’t have the appropriate mod downloaded or installed)

Submissions are open as of 2 hours ago - I will update the OP accordingly.

8 Likes

1995 SVM Hellblazer



The brand-new SVM Hellblazer is the ultimate GT muscle car, with a 350 ci V8 with 350 hp powering the rear wheels through a 6-speed manual gearbox – and a mechanical LSD.

With a full suite of driving assists, it’s also the most driveable Hellblazer to date, ensuring you and your passengers have fun without spinning into a ditch – unless, of course, you should desire to switch them off and enjoy all of its tire-burning power.

It is also the safest in its class, with high-safety crumple zones, dual airbags and automatic seatbelts.

A premium interior fully trimmed in Alcantara, as well as a high-fidelity audio system with CD playback, ensure your fun times are also comfortable.



Gallery


Specs
  • 350 ci V8
  • 350 hp
  • 466 Nm
  • 1396.6 kg
  • 0-100 in 4.7 seconds
  • 308 km/h top speed
  • Full aluminium architecture
  • 6 speed manual gearbox
  • RWD
  • Geared LSD
  • Premium Alcantara interior with 2+2 seating
  • Front sports bucket seats
  • Premium sound system with Compact Disc playback
  • Electronic stability control
  • Variable power steering
  • Semi-active dampers
  • Advanced safety suite with dual airbags and automatic seatbelts
9 Likes

1995 SVM Hellblazer

2 Likes

1995 Hellblazer by Spander

At Spander, we pride ourselves on making the most distinctive designs.
This concept has a strong and powerful stance, with a futuristic aerodynamic line, and design cues from the previous Hellblazer made into a modernized package.

Gallery

8 Likes

Are there any other models from SVM that we can draw inspirations to in order to make our design relatively SVM-ish?

The 1995 SVM Bearclaw (scheduled for release at the same time as the Hellblazer) would be another obvious source of inspiration. (The trim shown is a mid-range trim without functional aerodynamic fixtures.)

However, the Hellblazer would need to be more dynamic on the outside compared to the Bearclaw.

1995 SVM Hellblazer

Welcome to the 1990s jelly bean Hell (blazer).


Gallery

10 Likes

Low effort post for low effort car, still took me ages.

AMERICANISM IN FULL SHOW OF FORCE

14 Likes

Just 5 days have passed since I began accepting submissions, and already the entry list has grown to be as large as the one for the previous CSC. Frankly, I’d be surprised if I didn’t receive (m)any more before the deadline.

2 Likes

SVP Hellblazer by Propeller

7 Likes

95’ SVM Hellblazer

The only car you will ever need

Gallery




6 Likes

1 week left for submissions!

I have received .car files and ads (in the form of a forum post containing at least one picture of your submission) from:

@the-chowi
@Rise_Comics
@Maxbombe
@Ch_Flash
@Mikonp7

I have also received ads, but not .car files, from:

@Riley
@Fantic2000

If you have not sent me a .car file, please do so before the deadline - and be sure to post an ad on this thread by then unless you have already done so.