Hi Simon,
For any other sim that I know (and I know quite a few) 50 hours is immense.
50 hours spent with GPL still isn't much - to put it in other words, you've
probably only just started to "dig" it.
In my opinion it is a complete waste of time to "learn" GPL with driving
aids. The only driving aid that lets you constantly improve and prepare for
"the real thing" is to use the advanced trainer. Weird example: if you want
to learn playing an instrument, you'll have to sing along from the very
start or you'll have BIG difficulties to get used to singing AND playing at
the same time. Pretty similar with GPL: the day will come that you'll HAVE
to turn that auto-shifter off, and you'll be surprised or rather shocked how
much different the car feels. Manual shifting greatly influences the car's
physics as well - shifting up/down too early, too soon, overreving the
engine...you better start to learn how to deal with this - the sooner, the
better.
consider it as a fact that you won't get good lap times and starts without
manual shifting.
Have you ever seen the german F1 driver M. Schumacher start? That man is
absolutely ace! Well, he sure wouldn't be able to do this if he had
auto-shifting...
Now there's three ways to "do" it in GPL:
1- manual shifting, wheel button (or keyboard) as a clutch. Press the
"clutch-button", hold it, get in gear. When the green flag is up, revs up to
60%, slowly (!!) rising towards 80-85%. With the green flag going down, let
go of the clutch and SLIGHTLY lift your foot off the gas until the car
starts to move. As soon as the car's building up speed, SLIGHTLY increase
pressure on the gas. What ever you do, DON'T spin them rears!
2- manual shifting, no clutch. When the green flag is up, revs up to 60%,
slowly (!!) rising towards 80-85%. With the green flag going down, punch in
that first gear, SLIGHTLY lift your foot off the gas until the car starts to
move. As soon as the car's building up speed, SLIGHTLY increase pressure on
the gas. Again it is VERY important that the rear wheels don't spin when you
get in gear.
3- manual shifting, ANALOG (pedal-) clutch (the way I do it). GPL lets us
assign a third axis, so why not use it? All those having a T2 or a NASCAR
PRO wheel can easily add a third pedal to the pedal base, and this really
rules. BUT: unfortunately the simulation of an analog clutch is NOT that
good in GPL, as the travel is VERY short. Or is this realistic? What I'm
trying to say is that whe I started using the clutch-pedal I was very
disappointed as I thought that the clutch was ON/OFF only. Using a button or
the pedal didn't make any difference. But then I practiced and practiced
and...tada! There WAS a difference. But as I said, the travel is VERY short.
Here's a short replay that shows what can be done using an analog clutch...I
wouldn' t wanna miss it, although I hated it in the beginning.
http://www.racesimcentral.net/***er/start.zip
Questions, comments, flames...go for it - I'd love to read how others master
their starts!
Mea***er
