rec.autos.simulators

After playing GP2 rather too much than is good for your health back in
the 90's, I've not touched PC games for the last three years - I
baulked at the cost of the machines to stay "current". However - with
the imminent release of GP3, I've bitten the bullet and bought a new
all-singing, all-dancing system... and I'll even admit it's been
bought just for GP3.

So - after buying the system I had to buy GPL. It wasn't a choice - it
was calling to me from the software store shelf like the voice in
"Field of Dreams"...

First few laps were done at my brother's house. With all assistance
switched off we laughed our way around monza's run-off areas with
gusto - power slide here, tank slapper there, doughnut over there,
wheel in a tree, three spectators dead, upside down in the bails...

Following that I went home and installed on the GP3 machine (aka "The
Beast"). Oh how I laughed. Not. Tip for people owning Matrox G400 Max
cards - you need the v.6 Beta driver from their site before you can
play GPL with DirectX.

Once I got it up and running, the first few laps were spent either
losing the car under braking, getting scared while drifting at 150mph,
or going straight to the scene of the accident at the last corner of
Monza.

After screwing my thinking head on, I got the Ferrari down into the
1:36 bracket around Monza, then downloaded the Eagle setups from the
net - which immediately brought a successions of 1:31's - driving with
a joystick too (Logitech steering wheel is next week).

At this point I thought... hmmm... I'll try a race with a field of 20.
Practice saw me 3rd on the grid for my first ever race. I of course
got my first race start hopelessly wrong, and Hill, Clarke et al went
past like I was standing still (which I was).

Heading into the third corner about 6th, some idiot punted me from
behind, causing the biggest pile-up ever seen by the human eye. If
drivers could have come out of the***pits in bits, they would have.

Okay... so I'm not ready to race just yet. Doing a quick lap on my own
is not enough to be able to race. Several races starting from the back
of the field saw me diving for the inside, drafting and punting people
off with the best of them :-)

Last night saw me grabbing the Lotus (which I had read was seriously
quick yet unmentionably evil), and delving into it's setup to wrestle
it around the track. After playing around with the various options, I
ended up throwing the car around nearly under 1:31 - obviously a wheel
and pedals will bring the missing speed to get under 1:30 straight
away.

My one observation about trying to drive GPL with a joystick is it's
very difficult to get on the brakes without affecting steering - and
because of having to feed the throttle and brakes so accurately, you
tend to steer when you don't intend to. A steering wheel will bring a
world of control not possible with a joystick.

Anyway... onwards and upwards! (or should that be "throught the
barrier and into the crowd again?")

Editor of the Thought Cafe
www.thoughtcafe.co.uk

Jonathan Beckett, Senior Developer
Nutek Services Ltd.

http://www.racesimcentral.net/

Heading into the third corner about 6th, some idiot punted me
from behind, causing the biggest pile-up ever seen by the human
eye. If drivers could have come out of the***pits in bits,
they would have.

If it was a white car which rammed you that was John Surtees.
Obviously he's branching out from his usual hunting ground of
Parabolica.

Cheers

Phil

-----------------------------------------------------------

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Ah I see you discovered the magic powers of Surtees.  We need to create a
site where people can upload their "dumb Surtees move of the week" replays
;-P.

Congratulations on your purchase of GPL.

May the ForceFeedback be with you! (wow btw can you see the potential of
such slogan for a wheel company? Catchy, pop-reference, $$$).  I'll
copyright it ;)

-- Fran?ois Mnard <ymenard>
-- May the Downforce be with you...
-- http://www.racesimcentral.net/
-- People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don't realise
how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world.

<snip>
<snip>

Like the rest of us, then... except for the rounders bit. :-)

<snip>

Good one. Personally I never use driver aids in a sim, from day one.
It makes me utterly useless at first, but it's better in the long
run.

Hooray! Someone else who finds the Parabolica a pain! Try braking at
the start of the dark stripe, so you're off the brakes when you turn
in (unless you're good enough to trailbrake, that is).

Can't come soon enough. I rarely get below 1:31 with a stick - a FF
wheel later, and it's 1:28 time.

Everyone gets starts wrong. I get it right by accident about one time
in ten, then forget how I did it...

White car, was it sir? Yes, we're looking for that gentleman in
connection with a number of other moving traffic offences :-)

<snip>
drafting
<snip>

Slipstreaming. the word is "slipstreaming". We don't have to speak
American in this game, you know (except when reading the
almost-incomprehensible name-dropping in "Four Wheel Drift"...)

<snip>

Hah! One piece of advice here, good sir - don't assume *anything*
about GPL. Saying "if I do such and such, I'll be quicker straight
away" is asking for trouble.

Having said that, I expect you'll be back in a few weeks, telling us
all how easy it is to do 7:50 at the Ring...

--
David. (GPLRank handicap: +8.85)
"After all, a mere thousand yards - such a harmless little knoll,
really." (Raymond Mays on Shelsley Walsh)

Your life has been irrevocably-changed, you know.
--
Regards,
Bruce Kennewell,
Canberra, Australia.
---------------------------

J. P. Hovercraft

Bear in mind its much easier to catch it with a joystick though when it all
goes wrong

Can't stand driving with one myself though.

--
Cheers,

Robin Lord - Trance DJ & Sim Racer.

http://www.oppositelock.co.uk

Nrburgring and Grand Prix Legends

<snip>

Fun post. :)
And just for that here's a tip for joystick driving which may help until
you get that wheel.  If you haven't already done so, then move the
linearity slider about 2/3 to 3/4 of the way to the right (towards non-
linear).  It should definitely help with steering & braking/accelerating
at the same time.

<snip>
--
Peter Ives - (AKA Ivington)

No person's opinions can be said to be
more correct than another's, because each is
the sole judge of his or her own experience.

Ande

many problems driving with a joystick

When the demo came out over two years ago I drove with a joystick for
about, er... 18 hours, then it was straight off to PC World for an F1Sim
:->

The only way to use a joystick is to have pedals as well, steer with the
stick, pedal with the pedals.

Andrew McP

Im not done all the way with the internal layout. :-)
------------------------------------
Primary -http://www.stas.net/simworld2000

mirror - http://swtwok.00game.com

I've tried a wheel though and although I find it easier for steering, I
can't get on with the pedals - there is no feedback and it's hard to find
the braking lock up point.

- Michael

Jonathan Beckett, Senior Developer
Nutek Services Ltd.

http://www.absplannner2000.co.uk