rec.autos.simulators

Actually, it's now starting at the front again, we've done a complete
circle around the block....:-)

Beers and cheers
(uncle) Goy

"Team Mirage" http://www.racesimcentral.net/
"The Pits"    http://www.racesimcentral.net/

* Spam is for losers who can't get business any other way *
"Spamkiller"    http://www.racesimcentral.net/

That would be a no no for me, I want a steady detail level, I don't want
to be in a traffic jam approaching a corner and finding that the sim has
removed my braking marker to keep the FPS rate up....

But others in here suggested that there should be a FPS lock, that way
you could set it at 30 FPS and just lower your GFX to the point where
you could keep a steady 30 FPS, or something...

Beers and cheers
(uncle) Goy

"Team Mirage" http://www.racesimcentral.net/
"The Pits"    http://www.racesimcentral.net/

* Spam is for losers who can't get business any other way *
"Spamkiller"    http://www.racesimcentral.net/

I've been assuming the problem is processing the other cars, which is why
it's mainly a problem at the start when they are all together, at least
nowadays with hardware 3D acceleration. What I would do (were I to spend 4
years of my life writing a racing sim) is scale the rate at which the
position of the AI cars is calculated when the processor gets busy. It's
very nice that the AI takes different lines and makes mistakes and so on,
but it's not essential. If it is the drawing of the other cars that is the
problem then perhaps it wouldn't be too unsettling if the detail level of
the cars dropped.

I agree with you about the detail level of the circuit, I find it
distracting on the few times I've played Nascar2 the way the stands come and
go (is that why GPL doesn't do that?), or the way the world blinks out of
existence at a certain distance in the mirror in SCGT. I suppose that the
developers try things out and make a choice of lesser evils, thinking
particularly of the profile of their customers. For 99% of the people who
buy GP3 it is just a game, not the matter of life and death it sometimes
seems to be in R.A.S. For them, an occasional slight slowdown is not a
problem, and certainly is not going to make them go out and spend s or
$$$s on a major PC upgrade.

Most of them won't have wheels so being able to drive using the keys is
essential (ignoring "certain prominent people" who use joysticks). Which is
why GP3 will be (is already according to the advance order figures) the
commercial success that GPL never could have been.

Tony Whitley
(Now maybe I can have another go at getting near 8:30 at the 'Ring. Please.
Before Friday)

Hehe.  Besides, scenery blinking in and out can be VERY distracting...

Eldred
--
Tiger Stadium R.I.P. 1912-1999
Homepage - http://www.racesimcentral.net/~epickett
GPL hcp. +69.95

Never argue with an idiot.  He brings you down to his level, then beats you
with experience...
Remove SPAM-OFF to reply.

Ok... But I'm expecting you to bring the beers :-)

--