> > And from what i've read GPL isn't quite the 99.5% realistic that everyone
> > thought. Jackie Stewart reckons the cars in '67 had way more grip (his
> > opinion not mine).
> I'd like to know the source for this - I've often wondered if the
> wheelspin available in GPL right up to 4th gear and 100mph+ in some
> conditions on a dry track is realistic.
The tires only have a finite amount of traction, so in situations
where almost all of it is used for turning, very little extra
power is needed to break them loose. If you run with a close to open
diff (as with the default setups in GPL), it gets even worse since it
is very easy to spin the lightly loaded inside rear wheel (*).
My guess is that the level of grip in GPL is more or less spot on,
what's making the cars hard to drive for a real life driver is the
lack of input the driver is used to. Besides the limited field
of view, limited resolution and limited frame rate of the computer
screen, almost all of the so important seat-of-the-pants input is
missing.
The addition of force feedback has made GPL hell of a lot better
in this respect, with a properly calibrated FF wheel it is actually
not to hard even for a beginner to drive the cars slowly around the
track as long as the driver is not ignoring the natural reaction to
stop turning the wheel further when it is starting to load up.
_
Mats Lofkvist
(*) This is exactly the same as with an open diff rear wheel drive
road car; when turning really hard you can spin the inside rear
wheel at speeds way above where you can loose traction while
accelerating in a straight line.
