Let's all forget about the GPL engine shall we? I've never heard a worse
idea. I mean, since we're pretending to race cars, shouldn't we use software
that actually acts like a car? Let's just let that thing die. Just because
you are used to it does not mean it's good. Almost everything about the
interface in Papy games is wrong. Real instincts do not pay off. The games
*particulars* must be learned by rote. C'mon... that's no way to race. The
physics engine *might* be good, but we'd need a whole new GUI to find out. I
say, if they've done such a poor job to begin with, maybe they should design
spigots or something. Sims are certainly not their game. Simulations
necessarily include the human element. Check MTBR or STCC2 or GP3 if you
don't know what I'm talking about. There is actual separation between the
front and rear of the car. You can tell which wheel is locking. Heck, you
can even tell when the brakes are on. I know, you say you can *feel* the
brakes perfectly in GPL. I argue that you have merely learned what it is
doing through practice and are making educated guesses as opposed to
entering a situation and reacting to it in real time. I know we love Nascar
and GP but that does not make the N series and GPL good sims. The fact that
they were the best things we had a few years ago does not make them good
sims either. They are what they are and it's time to be thankful(?) for what
we had and let the next thing come along.
Why don't we use the CPR engine. A few well thought out tweaks and it would
destroy anything available. Heck, it already does.
Where GPL falls flat:
Sense of speed
Sense of attitude of car
Sense of acceleration
Sense of placement
Sense of available grip
Sense of front as separate from rear and vice/verse
Perspective of approaching road
That pretty much covers everything. At that point, who cares whether the
physics underneath are accurate or not.
--
"Racing! - Science for the action minded."
mark
