rec.autos.simulators

I've just installed GP4 but it seems very buggy and often crashes back to
the desktop.  I've put the official patch on but it doesn't seem to have
helped.  Would GP3 be a better bet?  I'm running XP Pro on a P4 1.6ghz, GF4,
512mb ram.  Is there any problems running GP3 on XP?  Oh and which is the
better for gameplay?  I used to play GP2 and 4 doesn't seem a whole lot
different.  I'm only using keyboard at the moment but will be getting a
wheel soon.  That begs another question, which is the best wheel?  :-)

Thanks for any help.

Hard to know where to start, really, but I will say in defense of GP4,
that it's always been stable for me on Win 98. The graphic performance
was pigish until I learned to tweak the "f1graphics.cfg" file.  It's a
game that definitely gets better the more you tweak it.

GP3 is a step back in many ways, but I still have it on my hard drive.
 That's mainly because there are many mods for GP3 that simply don't
exist for GP4.  And until we have decent track editor for GP3, it's
the only way to have additional tracks for the GP3/4 line.

Probably the best help you will find is at this forum:

http://www.grandprixgames.org/forum5/

That one is easy, get a Logitech Momo Racing Force...unless you want
to spend more than $100. :-)

Thanks for the info!  That's a good forum.

   I picked up GP4 because for it's CART mod.  Now I thought, since it had
been out for a long time it would have some CART USA tracks.  However, even  
a couple of years later, they still have not cracked the track format for
GP4.  There are hundreds of real and fantasy tracks for GP3 but barely
anything more than some graphic improvements for GP4.  So now I'm looking
for a UK version of GP3.

dh

Cracking the GP4 track format has been a real bear, from what I've
read. The GP3 track format has no relationship whatsoever with the GP4
track format, otherwise there would be many custom GP4 tracks by now.

But creating GP4 tracks has been a multi-tool project requiring 3DS
Max and some custom 3D tools, that probably nobody outside the GP4
development team ever had access to. I've sure never done it myself,
so part of this is speculation!

I do know there has been a guy steadily working on producing a decent
GP4 3D object editor. And from what I understand, there are a few
people starting to mod tracks with it.  This means moding existing GP4
tracks..not just tweaking the graphics, which has been done alot, but
changing the actual 3D surface.

The expectation (hope?) is that this kind of work may soon lead to
some conversion tools to make GP4 track creation easier and then we
hope things like the real CART tracks will start appearing, too.

  My whole 'thing' with the Crammond GP titles began when I found that some  
of the CART tracks like Denver and Monterey Mexico may be a long long time
comming to F1c.  So I blindly grabbed GP4 cuz those tracks were noted in
the CART mod features.  Sadly, much like ICR2, the modern CART tracks were
just renamed Euro/Asian F1 tracks.  So now I'm looking at GP3, just to get
a peek at Fundidora park.

dave henrie