*there's* a game!
In fact, I consider GPL the greatest "game" of my life. I've spent more
time, money, and thought on GPL than I've spent on Fish, Monoply, Parchisi,
poker, 21, tap-dancing lessions, spin-the-bottle, soccer, track, real-world
racing (altho I believe I was the first to spend more than ten Large on
race-prepping a pushrod Porsche Speedster in the 60s), Flight Simulator
(altho I wrote a book abt. *that,* too), or hide-the-salami. Well....
--Steve
> ;-)
> As for the source code, I believe that Razorworks has made their
> source code available for their helicopter sim, so there my yet be
> hope for TIR . . .
> </DREAMER MODE>
> -- JCB
> > tried to love TIR (alledgedly the remnants of the Westies' WSC project),
and
> > even recommended to Alison Hine that she try it, but we both found it to
be
> > something less than zero. It's console ancestry is all too
apparent...even
> > before you comb thru its architecture and find references to a "memory
card"
> > (could they at least have taken out the garbage before they ported it?).
> > Yes, it *looks* great (but not better than ISI products; in fact, to my
eye
> > it has the same hard-edged, grainy look as the F12x games), but the AI
is
> > clueless, and the gameplay is hopelessly arcade. Without the source
code,
> > it's still a sow's ear. But thanks for trying.
> > > After playing around with the demo for a few nights, I have to say
> > > that TIR feels exactly like SCGT2 to me. The demo can be hacked to
> > > incorporate some of the tweaks that can be used with the full version,
> > > and so far, here's what I've done to make the demo more playable:
> > > 1) I've incorporated a fix for the "sticky" grass and dirt (we had to
> > > do this when SCGT first came out, IIRC).
> > > 2) I've installed some "***" physics settings to make the grip
> > > levels more realistic (we had to do this with SCGT originally, as
> > > well).
> > > 3) I have modified the volume levels and the sound files for the tire
> > > squeal to provide better feedback on wheelspin and grip levels (which
> > > was something we didn't have to do for SCGT).
> > > With these changes, the demo feels a LOT like SCGT2 would feel if ISI
> > > were to undertake such a project. Overall, the TIR physics engine
> > > feels a lot like an ISI product in general, and graphically it's
> > > superior to anything ISI has done so far (out of the box, with no
> > > third-party graphic mods, that is). The AI reminds me a lot of the AI
> > > in SCGT -- there isn't much "I" in the "AI" overall, but the AI cars
> > > do slap and bang in a competitive manner, they drive both defensively
> > > and aggressively, and they will bulldoze you out of the way if you're
> > > not careful -- overall, though, the AI seems like it can be
> > > challenging and entertaining, at the very least.
> > > The overall lack of a damage model means there are no consequences for
> > > being overly aggressive, which is a drawback from a realism
> > > perspective, but in this respect, TIR isn't much worse than SCGT was
> > > when it first arrived on the scene. SCGT at least provided us unseen
> > > damage, and later visible damage was made available . . .
> > > unfortunately, I don't think we'll ever see damage in TIR.
> > > In general, though, the physics modeling in TIR seems to be much more
> > > sophisticated than SCGT -- the physics engine runs at a higher
> > > frequency than either TIR or Viper Racing, and it seems to model more
> > > aspects of the chassis geometry than either of these sims. If I had to
> > > rate it, I would say that while TIR may not be operating at the same
> > > level as F1 2002 physics-wise, it definitely seems to be up to the F1
> > > 2000 or F1 2001 level, and it far surpasses SCGT or Viper Racing.
> > > If there's any interest, I would be willing to make the mods that I
> > > have incorporated into the demo version available as an all-in-one
> > > package -- it would be simple to put together a self-installer that
> > > would be easy for everybody to use.
> > > FYI, the mods that I have incorporated are things that have been
> > > posted on the High Gear TIR forum by others -- I haven't reinvented
> > > the wheel, and I haven't come up with something new and revolutionary
> > > on my own . . . all I've done is pick and choose between other
> > > people's various tweaks, and I've come up with a combination that
> > > captures a lot of the "feel" and e***ment that I first experienced
> > > with SCGT and Viper Racing.
> > > TIR is definitely not GPL, but I think it is the best commercial
> > > sports car sim we've seen yet . . . Codemasters' Pro Race Driver just
> > > can't compare, physics-wise, and it's a huge disappointment in
> > > comparison to TIR.
> > > If anybody would be interested in a self-installer for the mods that
> > > I've incorporated into the demo, let me know -- note that these mods
> > > SHOULD also work with the full version as well, so if there is any
> > > interest, and if we can arrive at a consensus for what feels "right,"
> > > we may be able to establish some sort of a standard "***" set of
> > > tweaks. I know that an independent "***" physics mod is already
> > > available from the BHMS site, but the big difference between what
> > > currently exists and what I have done is that I have also increased
> > > the tire sounds, which REALLY helps you to understand what is going
> > > on, physics-wise, and THAT has made a big difference in my overall
> > > perception of TIR's physics model.
> > > -- JCB