rec.autos.simulators

Much appreciated.

        -A

The AI is "challenging" - it gets better as you do. There are various
"tweaking" utilities around to fix this, if you're finding the AI too much
of a challenge. They are pretty smart, and make mistakes by themselves, and
fall prey to mechanical failures as you can.

Multiplayer is AMAZING!! If you have a good modem (56k or better,
preferrably, though I know someone with a 28k modem who plays often), you
will love the multiplayer aspect of GPL.
I've played many games with as many as 20 drivers total, although 10-15 is
preferred for a good race with no disconnects. I've had GPL since it first
came out, and have only played ONE entire race off-line - all the rest of my
playing has been either hot-lapping or online racing with others. With VROC
(at the APEX gpl site), and the numerous online leagues and "clubs" people
have set up, you can usually find a race going on somewhere at any time of
the day!

***??... none - the car can flip upside down like in the demo, and
burst into flames -- nothing new here in the final version - no being thrown
from the car or anything.. just the fuzzy blank screen like in the demo if
the driver goes unconcious. If a driver gets angry, the worst you might see
is him throwing a***up in the air - so no need to worry about anything
here.

Can't really adjust the physics - but most of the files are "tweakable" if
you really want to play around with the different features in the data
files. You can change the car class (gp, trainer, advanced trainer), and the
race type (length & damage).

The Ferrari is AMAZING! You'll want to turn up the volume control on your
speakers! This car scares the daylights out of other new drivers whilst
playing online. They just hear a rumble behind them, and it can make them so
worried, they crash within a few corners!!

Go buy it!.. you won't be disappointed! If you enjoyed the demo, the full
thing will blow you away.
(and if for some strange reason, you decide you don't like it, Sierra has  a
money-back guarantee!)

doktorB
http://www.racesimcentral.net/~drbryan/gpl
-- Exclusive offer: PDPI L4 Digital Gamecard
   ONLY $80.95 US with Passwords on my GPL page
   Get rid of Jitters & poor framerates today! --

regards,
David Mocnay

David G Fisher

I have a 28.8 modem and have great success connecting to most VROC races
where the ping rate is in the 300's or lower.  I even hosted a 2 player
race yesterday with a friend in Colorado (I'm in Oregon).  We had
problems early on, but it was due to his ISP, not my 28.8 modem.

% >With direct play 28K modem is more than good enough. I get practically
% >flawless gameplay (ie. no warping, slowdowns or dropouts) 99% of the time.

--
**************************** Michael E. Carver *************************
     Upside out, or inside down...False alarm the only game in town.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=<[ /./.  [-  < ]>=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

AW> I've got the demo, but is there anything I should be warned about before
AW> I go and buy the sucker?  

You need a quite heavy CPU (nothing less than 266mhz IMHO).

AW> How's the AI?  

To my mind: the greatest AI I've ever seen...

AW> How's the multiplayer networking?  

Sorry, not experienced yet - due to the german telephone fees ;-(

AW> Any *** in the game?  Drivers thrown out of the***pit and that
AW> sort of thing?  

Nothing like that. Do you need that ??

AW> Can you adjust the physics of the game or anything cool like that?

Of course you can.

AW> What's the Ferrari like?

IMHO the Ferrari is one of the difficultest cars in that sim. But the
engine's sound really kicks ass ;-))

That's why I changed the sound and drive the Murasata (I like that
oversteering physics but the possibility to brake controlled).

GET IT NOW !

Also, man mailt sich...

.\\atze        [ FmMW2109 - FmMB2139 ]

*home* : http://www.racesimcentral.net/

Most peoples problems stem from using their Internet Access hook-up for
GPL, and this is just not set up right for on-line play.
This connection has things like Error Correction on, Buffered 16550's,
and usually Maximum modem speed, which is fine for the Internet, but
not for on-line play!

Try making a new Dial-Up Networking connection, dedicated to on-line
games, and you will see a big improvement.
eg: turn Error Correction off, slide buffer sliders fully left etc.
Also try slowing your modem down a bit, it is total rubbish that you
need a 56k modem running at 56k for good on-line play. (shock horror)
Try it, you may be surprised...

I have a 33.6k USR Robotics External, and have had no problems, since i
limited the speed at 26400 to 31600, and that is connecting to America
from Australia with ping times in the 350-450 ms range.
Cheers,
Ron

I've had the pleasure of racing at Mosport in a Honda Civic (1:52 lap)
So when I first loaded GPL on my newly upgraded computer, I went
immediately to Mosport to try it out with full details on.

Starting out in the Trainer, I trundled around admiring the scenery
thinking how beautifully realistic and familiar everything seems.  The
low power and acceleration of the Trainer is roughly on par with the
Honda Civic except the Honda revs much higher than the Trainer.

That long climb up the back straight from Moss Corner took forever in
the Civic, never quite reaching redline in third gear.  After the
crest at the top, there's still enough time to pop it into fourth for
a while before bending the car into the fast right-hander that leads
into the esses.  The Trainer is quite a bit quicker than that but it
has NO grip whatsoever in the corners.  Far less than the Honda Civic.

After a while of that, I switched to the Ferrari GP car and ...

                 OH MY GAWD!!!!

The sound alone was enough to make my knees shake.

And that Ferrari FLIES up the back straight, evilly snaking all over
the road, with the trees scorching past in a blur at breakneck speed,
the car getting wheelspin at screaming high rpm in every gear, even
spinning in 5th gear as the car merely gets light over the first hump
halfway up the hill, and then coming COMPLETELY OFF THE GROUND at the
crest at the top of the hill, after which it's impossible to get it
slowed in time for the right turn, from where it's straight off smack
into the fence!!!

HOLY SH*T!

That's a LOT faster than a Honda Civic!  It makes my knees shake, my
teeth chatter, and my hair stand on end.      Awesome.

Since then I've spent quite a few hours pounding around the track (not
to mention pounding into fences and things).  It certainly has given
me a better appreciation and understanding of why Formula One cars no
longer race at Mosport.  That is one wickedly dangerous track at those
speeds.

As an aside, other than the Ferrari, I've also tried the Lotus at
Mosport and was amazed at how much more stable the Lotus is upon
landing after the crest at the top of the back straight.  With the
Ferrari, I have to ease well off the power *before* reaching the
crest, because otherwise I cannot get it slowed in time for the right
turn.  It's always swapping ends on me.  But with the Lotus I can be
much more aggressive and still be fully in control over that crest.

I've tried Doug Arnao's Ferrari setup for Mosport and it didn't seem
to make any difference in this department.  The Ferrari just seems to
want to turn left or right immediately upon getting any weight back on
its wheels after that crest, whereas the Lotus always lands straight.
Why is that?

        -Ferdinand-

There is an intimidation factor to that Ferrarri sound. Did the
original really sound like that?! The one in Grand Prix (the movie,
depicting F1 a few years earlier) didn't sound that raucous.

<...>

I find it worse than Monaco- because at least at Monaco, you know what
you are dealing with- the downtown of a city, and a lot of very slow
turns and no run-offs. But Mosport looks basically like a typical
track, but it just isn't.  All the hard turns or braking areas seem to
be at the crests of hills, or other wierd, tight places. ANd it is a
fast track. It has the strange effect of making it so that if you
decide to be bold and hold off a bit on your braking, you potentially
get in to catastrophic situations, whereas on tamer courses you might
just end up in messy situations.

The premise I am working on is that at or over that crest, you have
almost no braking power because you have no weight on the ground. And
if you are unfortunate enough to be braking hard there- esp. if you
leave the ground- you find that when your weight settles back down
whatever wheel randomly decides to plant it's full weight first will
skew the car around ***ly and uncontrollably. Sort of like braking
with a wheel in the dirt.

I don't have a good answer for where to brake there, that is for sure.
In a race, I slow down *** the entrance to the incline of that
hill (since you can brake shorter when pulling those kinds of positive
Gs), then again after I have settled over the crest of the hill. If I
am qualifying, I actually try to deccellerate only *after* I have
settled back on the ground- and I'd say that 1 out of 5 times, I just
go flying in to the grass.

What a killer!

Maybe you are bottoming out on landing.

-Larry

-Larry

-Larry

On bad days, I knock my modem down to 19.2k for TEN racing.  Latency
increases a _bit_, but the near-perfect connection more than makes up
for it.  Just ignore the latency warning when connecting to a race.  You
will run it, warp free.  It does work:)

-Larry