rec.autos.simulators

I'm about to upgrade my PC from a DX2 80 to a Pentium something, but I
want to make sure it will run GP2 ok with all graphics features turned on.

All of you that have already tried it, how does it perform on your PC and
what do you use?

I'm sure a lot of us would like to know what the minium, recommended, and
optimum hardware specs are to run what looks like being a great game. You
can't beat feedback from real users.

Mark

I play with F1GP2 with this setup

Pentium 120
256 kb pipeline burst cache (8ns)
32Mo EDO Ram
1,2 GB Quantum Fireball harddisk
Diamond Stealth 2001 (Trio64V+ chipset)
Windows95

The game runs at about 16fps with all but sky and rear view textures on.
If you need more infos, do not hesitate to mail me!

PS: I've just played with F1GP2 on a P166 from HP (7165 i think) and it was
not really faster than on my very optimised P120.

David RAUX

I'm running GP2 on a P133 with syncburst cache and EDO RAM with a Diamond Stealth 64 2Mb VRAM. I am very
pleased with the performance. I run in SVGA with full detail except the sky. Based on this I would say this
would be a minimum configuration. My friend has a P6 200 and it really screams on that! Within the sim I'm
using the estimated 12.1 frames, which seems low, but is very smooth with no control problems.

MadMikey
"Sin City Boyz"

P120
16Mb fast page mode ram 70ns
256Kb pipeline burst cache
<Hard disk irrelevant for frame rate>
miro Video 12PD PCI graphics card 1MB
PCI54IT mobo (not that you know what that make is, or me for that
matter!!)

I can run VGA with all the detail on and all the textures (except
perhaps the mirrors) at about 20fps (80ish % processor occupancy)

SVGA, no textures at all, no mirrors, full detail, 25fps. (80/90ish
processor occupancy) It still looks gorgeous. Once you have seen it,
you won't care about detail or textures, you just won't want to play
VGA ever again!!

You should know that the game runs about 2 times slower at the start
of the race (because of all the other cars).

Hope this helps.

It is hard to say what fps you can get because there is just so many
different graphics options.
The game also slows when there are heaps of cars on screen, I find it
very playable on my system and on a P166 you would be laughing.

James Barnes

Check Out
The Australian Sport Page
http://www.ozemail.com.au/~jaymz/aussport.html

: I'm about to upgrade my PC from a DX2 80 to a Pentium something, but I
: want to make sure it will run GP2 ok with all graphics features turned on.

: All of you that have already tried it, how does it perform on your PC and
: what do you use?

: I'm sure a lot of us would like to know what the minium, recommended, and
: optimum hardware specs are to run what looks like being a great game. You
: can't beat feedback from real users.

: Mark

        I've played GP2 on three machines: 486 DX66 and 120Mhz and
Pentium 150Mhz. My thoughts about playing GP2 on these machines:

66Mhz: Totally unplayable even on minimum details. VLB graphics card
might help a bit, but I still doubt

120Mhz: Quite playable on VGA with 2/3 details on, SVGA not playable

P150Mhz, Matrox graphics card:
        Too fast for VGA graphics ;), just great on SVGA with some
details off (sky and some mirror textures). May slow down occasionally
(especially on BIG crashes), but still very playable.

        Joonas

I am playing on a P5-150 w/24megs and s3trio64+ w/2megs and it runs pretty well
in SVGA with no mirror textures and no sky but all else maxed. Monaco is a joke
though, it is absolutely stunning but you pay heavily. Also noticed some
slowing at Monza and with a lot of cars bunched up but I would have to say that
the engine is far superior to ICR2. There is so much more color and detail and
it runs faster. Still makes me think it might be time for a P6-200.

I think GP2 is a case of not-so-good programming(hasty) and lack of
planning.  True, the graphics are fantastic and blows ICR2 away
(personally, I think GP2 is much better than ICR2) in its contents ,
graphics, effects etc. (GP2 even have (fake) reflections of sun and
cloud on the cars.) but There is no way you can play this with full
detail in SVGA.  What's the point of including superb effects that can't
be turned on even if you have the best machine.  It is just like filling
up F1 cars with BP petrol.  And nobody is going to buy GP2 a year or two
later (when faster processors come out) by then it would be superseeded
by other "better" F1 sims.

I think that's why on the back of the Box (Euro version) it only mention

    "VGA graphics, full texture mapping abd light-sourcing"

and nothing about SVGA except on the specs sticker.

That's why release date of GP2 is contantly put back - they could get
SVGA to work fast enough. ( remember the rumour in the beginiing of the
year that Microprose is going to s***the whole project and GC is going
to get fired?)

GP2 -  a typical monkey and a jar of candies story.

* P.S. even with all the things I've said above, it is still the best ,
I like it alot. It is worth selling your sister's kidney machine, (hell,
sell your sister) to buy GP2 *

--Ray

RW> And nobody is going to buy GP2 a year or
RW> two later (when faster processors come out) by then it would be
RW> superseeded by other "better" F1 sims.

I'm not so sure of this.....when I first got F1GP it struggled on my 20
MHz 386 - and it had been out for a while then - but until last week it
was still up and running on my 90 MHz pentium.....and this conference
demonstrates people were coming to it new only a month or two back.....

GP3 (or something as good) might not be out until 2002 after all!

Cheers!

---
 * RM 1.3 U0414 * ALTZHEIMER.COM found .. Out ... of ..... something .......

?On Thu, 25 Jul 1996 17:28:04 +1100, Ray Wang
?
?>only kept 3 mirror textures and ALL DETAILS.  To play the game at its
?>fullest potential would be, frankly impossible at this moment .(even
?>Pentium 200 just released couple weeks ago is not good enough or
?>Pentium Pro for that matter)
?>
?>I think GP2 is a case of not-so-good programming(hasty) and lack of
?>planning.  True, the graphics are fantastic and blows ICR2 away
?>(personally, I think GP2 is much better than ICR2) in its contents ,
?>graphics, effects etc. (GP2 even have (fake) reflections of sun and
?>cloud on the cars.) but There is no way you can play this with full
?>detail in SVGA.  What's the point of including superb effects that can't
?>be turned on even if you have the best machine.  It is just like filling
?>up F1 cars with BP petrol.  And nobody is going to buy GP2 a year or two
?>later (when faster processors come out) by then it would be superseeded
?>by other "better" F1 sims.
?
?Hi Ray,
?
?     This sounds very similar to several games from Electronic
?Arts, like NHL Hockey 96 and US Navy Fighter.  Bad Bad programming.

          This is all getting a little out of hand.  GP2 was programmed very
well.  I'm not sure why Ray isn't getting a decent frame rate out of his P166,
but my P133 with half the RAM and a Matrox with half the WRAM, does a
wonderful job with most of the textures turned on, and full detail.  Those
Electronic Arts games surely are instances of mediocre programming, but in
GP2's case, that is simply not true, and an unfair comparison.

   --Evan

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: >
: > I'm about to upgrade my PC from a DX2 80 to a Pentium something, but I
: > want to make sure it will run GP2 ok with all graphics features turned on.
: >
: > All of you that have already tried it, how does it perform on your PC and
: > what do you use?
: >
: > I'm sure a lot of us would like to know what the minium, recommended, and
: > optimum hardware specs are to run what looks like being a great game. You
: > can't beat feedback from real users.

: I run it on a P133/16MB/Stealth64 and to have all the detail on in SVGA you are
: going to need a Cray. It's as simple as that.

I'm running in on

Pentium Pro 200
32MB EDO RAM
Matrox Millenium 4MB
Thrustmaster T2

VGA:  Why bother?

SVGA: I can run with _all_ detail on except sky and texture in mirrors and get
21.3fps.  With sky on, the frame rate drops to ~15.  The sky is pretty neat
looking and gives a better sensation of *** around the corners, but the
frame rate penalty is pretty big.  I still can't decide whether to have it on
or not.  Having texture in mirrors in addition to sky drops it to 14.3fps.
Still playable at 15fps, but it looks a little better at 21fps...

-Scott Walter