rec.autos.simulators

I have to disagree with you here. I started a GPL club (The GPL PRC)
and we've over 70 members. The majority are working ***s. All except
one, Alison Hine, are male. Most are VERY fast. Many are married with
kids. Do they have "a life,"? I'd say so. They're fast because most of
them have been racing sims for years. So the racing skills they've
aquired over the years are simply paying off with GPL. I say this
because, though it's been out for just two months, already most
members are turning in pro lap times. If there was the kind of money
in sim racing that there is in the real world a lot of these guys
would be stinking rich. Which reminds me... not a few of them DO race
real cars either as a hobby or semi-pro. Yet they still race GPL
regularly. That says a lot about how realistic GPL is. And how great
racing online with it is too.

J Burrowes

--
Wolfgang Preiss   \ E-mail copies of replies to this posting are welcome.

Nascar 1999 is a test of double file restarts and a few other features,
again for Nascar 3 and will no doubt make enough money to pay for itself
so there are no dummies at Papyrus.

Personally I dont care for GPL because I dont identify with this era of
F1 but I sure can apreciate the physics modeling and what it means for
the future, Nascar 3 or 2000 or whatever it'll be called is the sim I am
waiting for :).

I think they should release a generic simulator and simply provide new
front ends for different types of racing.  If they do it right, there
would be a common directory holding physics, networking (multiplayer),
and graphics info, and subsequent product releases would simply make use
of these components.  This would enable them to only have to release
tracks, carsets, and other series-specific portions.  This would allow us
to drive Nascar races in unlikely venues, such as Nurburgring.

What would be really cool would be to have an app that lets us design a
race car (including the type of materials used and type of tires), and
have the program that determined the car's physics based on it's shape
and weight.  This program would come with several types of cars already
"modeled", including GP, Indy, F1, Nascar, Trans-Am, IMSA, Sprints, and
production street cars of various eras.  

I agree with this (sort of).  While they didn't have to release a product
with double-file restarts in order to test it, at least we can get an
idea as to what's in store for us when N2000 comes out.

I don't identify with it either, but right now, it's leaps and bounds
more fun to drive than N2.  I hate open-wheel racing, but this sim is
quite fun.

--
=========================================================
John Simmons - Redneck Techno-Biker (Zerex12)
http://www.members.home.net/jms1/index.html

John Simmons - Barbarian Diecast Collector
http://members.home.net/jsimm/diecast_index.html

IGPS Director
http://members.home.net/jms1/igps.html

If you want to send me email, go to either of the URL's
shown above & click "Send Me Mail" in the contents frame.
=========================================================

I would be very surprised if Papyrus doesnt use this engine in further
sims, I certainly hope so and hope that a modern day F1 sim would be
one. Frankly I dont expect to see Papyrus producing a modern version
though due to licensing issues, etc.

Personally I enjoy F1 as much as I do Nascar and certainly dont
subscribe to the narrow minded US vs European, F1 vs Nascar opinions
stated by others in this NG.

I too would like to see some Nascar vs GPL sales figures but I suspect
that the market share of N1/N2 would be larger than any other type sim
made to date. For one thing the US market is huge and Nascar is also
quite popular in other countries, this is strictly IMO however.

Trev

AFAIK, the biggest selling sim to date worldwide is GP2- And this is before
the imminent Budget release....

Z.

Let's not forget that most of the newer games require MUCH faster
hardware to work acceptably well.  It's widely accepted that you
shouldn't really consider driving GPL unless you have a P2/300 or faster
wit a V2 card.  Without hardware at least that fast, you won't get decent
performance in a full-field race.  

You should also consider that more entertainment software is purchased in
the US than in most other countries combined.  Given that Nascar is
probably the most watched motorsport in the US, that's why Papy gets such
good sales numbers for N1/N2 compared to ICR2 or GPL.

When N3 comes out, I'd be willing to bet that it far outsells GPL even
with it's stiffer hardware requirements.

--
=========================================================
John Simmons - Redneck Techno-Biker (Zerex12)
http://www.members.home.net/jms1/index.html

John Simmons - Barbarian Diecast Collector
http://members.home.net/jsimm/diecast_index.html

IGPS Director
http://members.home.net/jms1/igps.html

If you want to send me email, go to either of the URL's
shown above & click "Send Me Mail" in the contents frame.
=========================================================

Z.

The US is responsible for 40% which proves my point - more than *most*
other countries combined.

--
=========================================================
John Simmons - Redneck Techno-Biker (Zerex12)
http://www.members.home.net/jms1/index.html

John Simmons - Barbarian Diecast Collector
http://members.home.net/jsimm/diecast_index.html

IGPS Director
http://members.home.net/jms1/igps.html

If you want to send me email, go to either of the URL's
shown above & click "Send Me Mail" in the contents frame.
=========================================================

% >
% > But the fact remains that Nascar has very little following outside North
% > America whereas F1 is a global series that attracts tv audiences that Nascar
% > can only dream about. By simulating F1 (even historic F1) you can open up a
% > potential market of at least the size of the Nascar one.

% Paul, you'll get no argument from me on this issue other than the size
% of the market F1 vs Nascar, it is just my personal opinion that GPL was
% mainly a test of the Nascar3/Nascar 2000 physics engine as N99 was a
% test of other features.

% I would be very surprised if Papyrus doesnt use this engine in further
% sims, I certainly hope so and hope that a modern day F1 sim would be
% one. Frankly I dont expect to see Papyrus producing a modern version
% though due to licensing issues, etc.

% Personally I enjoy F1 as much as I do Nascar and certainly dont
% subscribe to the narrow minded US vs European, F1 vs Nascar opinions
% stated by others in this NG.

% I too would like to see some Nascar vs GPL sales figures but I suspect
% that the market share of N1/N2 would be larger than any other type sim
% made to date. For one thing the US market is huge and Nascar is also
% quite popular in other countries, this is strictly IMO however.

% Trev

--
**************************** Michael E. Carver *************************
     Upside out, or inside down...False alarm the only game in town.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=<[ /./.  [-  < ]>=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Trev

<snip>

John, I believe you are right on the money there :) I wouldnt be
surprised to see N3 become the biggest selling sim to date, I for one
cant wait to see it. I would imagine a 1 Gig proccessor will be needed
to run it though.

Trev

The proof is where?

Trev