rec.autos.simulators

Well I was up in Boston last week and I got to stop by and visit the
folks at Papyrus.  I saw a lot of cool stuff and finally got to put
faces with all the names I've come to know.  Everyone was extremely
friendly and eager to answer my questions (within reason of course), but
the real highlight was being able to play around with GPL.

I'm not sure if there is a VGA option, or how well the 2D version runs,
but the 3D accelerated version was VERY smooth (to my knowledge there
wasn't a framerate counter so I can't give exact numbers).  Considering
there is still quite some time until its release, there's probably still
room for further optimization.  A decent CPU (meaning a P166MMX or
higher) paired with a fast 3D accelerator (3Dfx, Riva128, Rendition
V2x00, etc.) should do nicely.

Graphically its vastly superior to any previous racing sim, giving a
great sensation of speed.  I know there has been a lot of debate going
on about the driver's hands in the***pit, and for some time I was
against it as well.  But in all honesty, after playing GPL I can't
imagine it without the hands.  The***pit would just be empty without
them.  There are no extra visual indications of speed, gears, etc. other
than what you see in the***pit.  So to tell what gear you're in, you
just have to glance down and the shifter to note its position.  The
hands aren't simply eye candy, as they really do provide very good
visual feedback of how the car is handling (perhaps with a very good
force feedback wheel this would be less important).  The mirrors are a
great addition as well, and the game is basically rendering 3 complete
views (the main***pit view, plus the two smaller mirrors).  They now
show full detail and textures, and look much more realistic than any
mirror I've ever seen.

I can't tell you how cool it is to see the true 3D***pit react to the
race track as you climb hills or go though dips or watching your front
suspension as you run up on the curbs.  Plus all you ***ic racers out
there will be happy to know that spectacular rolls and flips are now
possible with the new physics model.

I pretty much suck at road courses (especially those that I've never
seen before), but thankfully I did get to watch the Papy guys really put
the car through its paces.  To see someone sliding through the turns at
the very edge of control was a real treat, and I could have stood there
for hours with my jaw dropped.

Even after only playing it for a short while, its difficult to go back
to any other game.  David Kaemmer is the John Carmack of racing sims,
and with GPL Papyrus will continue to be the standard to which all
others are compared.

I can't wait to see what else is in the works for N3...

--
Eric T. Busch

http://www.racesimcentral.net/

Eric, I hate you - just thought you should know that :)

Seriously, given the astonishing things Papyrus are accomplishing with
Grand Prix Legends, all you tin-top drivers have to be salivating at
the prospect of what they're going to do with NASCAR3.

I only wish they could get the rights to do another CART sim or,
better yet, the rights to the 1998 F1 season. How about a Papyrus sim
of the new slidy F1 cars, and with a new slidy ex-Indycar champion?

Cheers!
John

Thanks for the review - everytime I hear something about GPL I drool a
little more <g>

Cheers,
Richard

Honestly I wasn't too e***d about racing around in '67 Grand Prix cars
with little traction and downforce on sprawling road courses, but after
seeing what GPL brings to the table I'll just have to learn to love it.
This ground-breaking sim will be an absolute must have for any racing
fan.

--
Eric T. Busch

http://www.racesimcentral.net/

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Got it right now - CART Precision Racing

           ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Got it right now CART Precision Racing

                    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I truly hope so because the more top notch simulations we have in the market
the more each company like Papyrus, Terminal Reality, Micropose, and UBIsoft
will be forced to make better and better games!

I always wondered why Papyrus didn't go after the F1 license considering the
*** in the race sim market over the last couple years.

Eric,

Thanks for the report - very interesting. Just a couple of questions -
did they mention a release date. I've heard it may have slipped to
Summer 98. Second, what tracks did you race on? Are the Nurburgring
and Spa in there?

Thanks,

Alan Head

*************************
Screamer 2 homepages:
http://www.feature.demon.co.uk/games.htm
-----------------------------------------
Grand Prix Legends (from Papyrus) page
http://www.feature.demon.co.uk/gpl/gpl.htm
__________________________________________

Cart Precision Racing looks decent, runs like crap, has little to no AI
to speak of, the physics model is pretty weak, etc.  It just isn't in
that same class as GPL.

--
Eric T. Busch

http://ebusch.akorn.net

With all that was going on, I forgot to ask about a release date.  I've
never been a fan of open-wheeled cars, nor was I alive during the time
period the sim is based on.  Basically what I'm trying to say is that I
know absolutely nothing about GP, and in all honesty I had never even
heard of most of the tracks.  Sorry I can't be of any more help.

--
Eric T. Busch

http://ebusch.akorn.net

Boy, aren't you going out on a limb here to show your prejudice for Papy?
The physics model is "pretty weak"?  I'd love to know the analysis you used
to come to this conclusion.  Isn't in the same "class" as GPL?  Last time I
checked, there was no demo of GPL even available to compare the two.  Are
you using word of mouth of the few people who have seen the product in
development to make this determination?  I seem to remember a ton of people
praising Ubi F1 over CPR as well, until about two days ago when they
actually got it in their hands.

Rich

I know it's been beaten to death on this ng but, while I love...no,
absolutely love ICR2 (former IVGA record holder on the four short ovals
[yes Don, Phoenix is an oval]), I believe that the CPR physics model may
be better. However, I cannot say for sure having only raced it in
sub-SVGA quality graphics at 9 fps. I am looking forward to lapping with
the patched version of it on something more than a P100 w/o 3D
acceleration after the holidays.

Jim

P.S. ETB - while I have your eye, will or won't a V2100 card run the
Rendition versions of ICR2 and N2?

AFAIK both run on the V2x00 cards (however ICR2 needs a patch which is
available from Rendition's FTP site).

--
Eric T. Busch

http://ebusch.akorn.net

I'm tiring of companies that abandon products so they can force us to
buy the new update ... (n2 vs n3 to get 3dfx out of the box ...)

Doug

No, as he said he was using his own eyes - he *has* seen the product.

Joe

Fix SODA - 3dFX patch on the way
N2       - 3dFX patch also on the way
ICR2     - No license.

Anything else sir would require today...? :)

Tell me, what does "abandoning" mean where you come from? Around these
parts it generally doesn't stretch to include products where a track
pack, a revolutionary on-line racing system, and a 3dFX patch are
either released or almost ready for release. I wish a few more
companies would "abandon" their products like that.

Cheers!
John