rec.autos.simulators

Can't post shit like that in here... it's too good for 'm. ;-))

Jan.
------

If that was intended as humour rather than bigotry, it failed.

Despite that, though, I've heard from reliable sources at MGI/Sierra that
Viper Racing has out-sold GPL.  And I don't think Viper Racing got even HALF
the advertising support that GPL did.  I don't recall seeing ANY magazine
ads for Viper Racing, yet GPL had those wonderful 2-page spreads (FWIW, I'd
love to have a GPL poster with a reproduction of those ads -- it would look
great over my computer desk!).

All in all, I think it was more an accessibility issue, rather than a lack
of advertising support/hype, that has kept GPL from becoming an all-time
bestseller.  Without the ability to adjust the difficulty level, it's just
too hard for the average Joe or Jane to get any kind of satisfaction from
the competition in GPL.  Executing a good 4-wheel drift though a turn is
surely a thrill, but a lot of people just can't find even that enjoyable if
they don't feel like they have the ability to be competitive with the AI,
and GPL fell down in that area.  With the addition of Allison's setups and
the AI Tweak utility, GPL is much more accessible for the non-***
driving sim fan, but it should have had these things right out of the box,
not as add-ons only available on the Web.

Sierra/Papyrus desperately needs to re-release GPL with the better setups,
the AI Tweak utility, and the V1.1 patch all in place on the installation
CD -- they need to call it "Grand Prix Legends Gold" or even "Grand Prix
Legends 2" (we'd know the difference, and the "2" would give the general
public reason to take a 2nd look -- plus, it would be no worse than
re-releasing ICR2 as CART Racing . . .).  Plaster stickers all over the
package indicating that this version features "FULL FORCE FEEDBACK SUPPORT"
(a catch-phrase that's sure to guarantee more sales), and then come up with
some additional hook to make it more accessible to beginners -- something
like a gentle, high-banked oval track that novices could use to get used to
the GPL physics model (the Louden track is okay, but I think something like
the Dover track would be better).  Advertise on the box that GPL "Now
includes exclusive test skidpad track!", and GPL would be on the way to
higher sales and greater popularity.

Then again, who asked me?  Perhaps somebody should, come to think of it.
You listening, Papy?

-- John Bodin
   Publisher, The IRL Insider Magazine
   http://www.racesimcentral.net/

Eldred

__

Put your message in a modem, and throw it in the ***-sea...
remove SPAM-OFF to reply.

There have been ads for models of 1960s and 1970s F1 cars in C&D lately.
Maybe that's what you're thinking of.

I think Nascar 1 and 2 were pushed harder / better, at least in the US.

Yep.  Sometimes companies release too early and patch too late.  The Papy
guys could have added the ability to race the F2 and F3 cars and some
spiffy AI tweaking utilities pretty easily.

If they did that, it should be called Gold, not 2.  Truth in advertising
is a good thing.  GPL2 (if it ever happens) should model a different season.  
(Early 60s 1.5L formula would be best from the standpoint of controllability
and minimal work; early 1980s turbo cars would appeal more to younger
F1 fans, but would require a lot of work for aerodynamics and licensing.)

I don't see GPL Gold happening, because of the licensing hassles involved
with adding more tracks or drivers or cars, which is what you'd expect
from a Gold edition.  If they wanted to go to all that effort, they
could do an Indy Legends game, which would sell better, at least in the
US.

--

spamgard(tm): To email me, put "geek" in your Subject line.

<LIBERAL SNIP>

Indy Legends?  Funny you should mention it -- you might want to check this
out:

http://irlinsider.adnetweb.com/sims/gtirl/

I'm not sure now if this is a GT Interactive effort, or if this is a Papy
and/or third-party effort to create a conversion for GPL, but I have heard
reference to an "Indy Racing Legends" sim.  Let's hope it happens!

-- John Bodin
    Publisher, The IRL Insider Magazine
    http://irlinsider.adnetweb.com/

my newsreader decided it would be amusing to chop off the end of my post to
get me in trouble

there were a good 100 words more to my post..

had these words been included along with the initial 2 lines hopefully you'd
have been chuckling along with me (probably because of the rather cruel joke
included about my fellow brits :)

as you might have guessed the realism dig was linked to Jerry Springer the
WWF and Titanic :)  and nothing more sinister.

My apologies again (unless of course you believe that Jerry Springer the WWF
and Titanic are all real!  - in this case all I will say is get help!  :)

Marc

   Please explain, oh marketing maven, how a game released in May '99
(without a lot of advance fanfare) would adversely impact the sales of
a game released 9/30/98 -- a full *seven months* before it.

   "Ummm, GPL doesn't sound that good, I'll keep playing Need For
Speed for another seven months until something better comes along..."

   LOL.

"But in a way, fear is a big part of racing, because if there was
nothing to be frightened of, and no limit, any fool could get into
a motor car and racing would not exist as a sport." -- Jim Clark

"But in a way, fear is a big part of racing, because if there was
nothing to be frightened of, and no limit, any fool could get into
a motor car and racing would not exist as a sport." -- Jim Clark

;-)

-- JB

-- JB

;-)

-- JB