rec.autos.simulators

Early Trans-Am I can relate to, Trevor.  The others that you mention  never had
any involvement with.
I think that, with the "kernel" that Papyrus now have, they could create some
wonderful racing sims.
Imagine, for instance, Le Mans.  With the ability to model different vehicles, and
sounds, how about a historic Le Mans?  Several eras could be represented.......the
1950s, with the D-Type Jaguars and Mercedes SLRs.  The 1960s, with the GT40s and
Ferrari P-4s.  The 1980s, with the Porsches.  Imagine a sim where you have the
ability to drive for 24 hours, in different conditions?  Papyrus certainly have
the ability now to come up with some super stuff!

Im not sure which way this point takes the argument - you can decide this
for yourselves, but the driver in the car can probably get a lot more on
how well the car is handling than driving on a computer screen, so the
replays with all the cameras are definitely needed to try and recreate some
of the 'feel' a driver had. As for telemetry, well as you say, it would be
interesting, but highly unrealistic. Perhaps some bright-spark will figure
out a way of extracting the data from the replays once the game is released
:)

I realize, that telemetry wasn't available for GP cars in 1967, but I
try to defend my point of view anyway:
  In real life telemetry of course requires all kinds of gadgets
attached to the car, and  accordingly the kind of fancy replays we can
enjoy in driving games/simulations would require a LOTS of helicopters
flying around taking footage.
  However, if GPL did have telemetry, I wouldn't find it necessery to
imagine, that the car has those gadgets needed for it.  The question is
if we are allowed to observe the simulated "world" to the full extent,
which is the whole point of some scientific simulations, or if our
vision is limited to what can be seen/heard by the driver or the
cameramen.  Adding telemetry to GPL isn't therefore comparable to
mounting Sidewinders to a Sopwith Camel (nothing wrong with that though,
but a bit pointless) in a flight sim.
  The only problem I can see with telemetry, is that it could delay the
release of GPL.  It could also ruin the multiplayer experience for
someone who wants to develop the car setups without "cheating".  
  Luckily GPL isn't about the GP cars of the thirties.  Otherwise people
would require replays in black and white!

        Jari Jokinen

And that's not a bad idea, either!
We have similar touches with such historical flight sims as Red Baron 2 and
the sepia-toned background graphics certainly enhance the atmosphere.
--
Regards,
----
Bruce.