> > Why is it that there appears to be so many add on tracks for GPL,
> > and none other than detail modifications for extsting tracks on
> > sims such as F12002?
> <snip>
> Simple: GPL has been out since 1998, yet there's no sign (and
> probably no chance) of a sequel. So doing what F1-200x drivers can, and
> just waiting for next year's release, isn't on. Which means that the
> only way to extend the sim is for people to write their own utilities.
> A related point is that GPL, being a *** sim, has a higher than
> average percentage of owners who like to get their hands dirty and muck
> about "under the bonnet" of the thing. The really hard work was done by
> the people who reverse engineered the file formats etc and wrote the
> editing utilities. Now, even a thicko like me can produce a driveable
> track (though producing a *releaseable* track is a different matter, as
> that needs artistic skills and a *lot* of tedious number crunching).
> To summarise: a very committed user community has had four years to
> work on a program they love. This is the result.
I think it's important to relaize that Papy actually MADE the sim
extensable from the start. Tracks are ridiculously simple to add, additional
cars (once obtained) are also simple to add. That's not true of most other
sims, and I can guarantee you it's one of the reasons I stay committed to
Papy sims.
Hasbro did very good when they patched Heat and actually "supported"
user-created mods - Trucks, BOATS, you name it! It's a lesson WELL learned
IMHO.
Gunner