rec.autos.simulators

GPL 1937?

Chris Bloo

GPL 1937?

by Chris Bloo » Sat, 20 Nov 1999 04:00:00

Surely it wouldn't be too diffucult for Papyrus to make a 1930's based
Grand Prix sim using GPL as the basis.  Microprose have obviously stuffed
up their attempt at it, unfortunatly it is a time in GP racing that
deserves something a little better in the Sim Racing world.
Alan Orto

GPL 1937?

by Alan Orto » Sat, 20 Nov 1999 04:00:00

If papy did that they would be commiting suicide.
I highly doubt Sierra would publish it anyway, they got burnt once
publishing a Vintage F1 sim and they aren't going to get burnt twice.
I would like to find out the sales figures on SoS '37, my guess is it
will sell about as well(bad) as gpl.

> Surely it wouldn't be too diffucult for Papyrus to make a 1930's based
> Grand Prix sim using GPL as the basis.  Microprose have obviously stuffed
> up their attempt at it, unfortunatly it is a time in GP racing that
> deserves something a little better in the Sim Racing world.

Michael

GPL 1937?

by Michael » Sat, 20 Nov 1999 04:00:00


I don't think it would sell that well, but it would be fairly cheap to
do, so long as the developer didn't try to model too many of the tracks -
they were *very* lengthy in the 30's e.g. Pescara, Bremgarten, some
longer than the 'Ring even.

Possibly a 3rd party could do it, like the add-ons for FPS games that get
done. I'd buy it anyway.

- Michael

Michael

GPL 1937?

by Michael » Sat, 20 Nov 1999 04:00:00


It would only be possible if Papyrus released their editor, tools and
ideally source code. I can't imagine them doing that - ever.

There was a track editor project but it seems to have died. Hardly
surprising as reverse engineering a file format of the complexity of a
track database is virtually impossible - anyone talented enough to do it
will be busy doing stuff that makes money.

- Michael

Chris Bloo

GPL 1937?

by Chris Bloo » Sat, 20 Nov 1999 04:00:00

There are quite a few "Extra" tracks available for the NASCAR series of
sims?  surely if those were possible the similar techniques would work with
the GPL tracks?  The tracks are obviously the main thing preventing such a
project that Terry Welch sugested.  What tracks in GPL were being used in
that state in the Thirties?  Nurburgring, Monaco???, Monza.

It would be nice though.

Chris

Leel

GPL 1937?

by Leel » Sun, 21 Nov 1999 04:00:00


    MichaelJP> says...
    >> It would be interesting, though, to put together a rather
    >> extensive team across the Internet for this purpose.  Each
    >> individual could bring their skills to the table, and only
    >> reasonable amounts of time and resources would have to be
    >> committed by anyone (for no compensation whatsoever).

    MichaelJP> It would only be possible if Papyrus released their
    MichaelJP> editor, tools and ideally source code. I can't imagine
    MichaelJP> them doing that - ever.

Don't those people learn from history? It has never proven to be good
to keep guarding your "secrets" like that. What damage is there in
releasing the specs on how to make tracks? Or releasing a track
editor? You still need the game to play them. It won't tell the
competition how the physics engine works, and in a few years there
will be a better physics engine anyway, either from papyrus or someone
else and GPL will just be forgotten. Unless it can be worked on and
changed/updated with the track editor. Just look at GP2 (and all the
GPL'd (pun intended :) ) stuff for Linux)!

Oh well...
-peter

Michael

GPL 1937?

by Michael » Tue, 23 Nov 1999 04:00:00


There were some fantastic tracks in the 30's - most of them *much* longer
than the present day tracks, the Nurburgring was the most famous, but
others include Pescara (16 miles) , Bremgarten (4.5 miles) , Tripoli (8
miles) , Montlhery, Brno (18 miles!)

More info on this great website: http://www.ddavid.com/formula1/track.htm

- Michael

Ian Hil

GPL 1937?

by Ian Hil » Tue, 23 Nov 1999 04:00:00



> > > It would only be possible if Papyrus released their editor, tools and
> > > ideally source code. I can't imagine them doing that - ever.

> > > There was a track editor project but it seems to have died. Hardly
> > > surprising as reverse engineering a file format of the complexity of a
> > > track database is virtually impossible - anyone talented enough to do
it
> > > will be busy doing stuff that makes money.

> > There are quite a few "Extra" tracks available for the NASCAR series of
> > sims?  surely if those were possible the similar techniques would work
with
> > the GPL tracks?  The tracks are obviously the main thing preventing such
a
> > project that Terry Welch sugested.  What tracks in GPL were being used
in
> > that state in the Thirties?  Nurburgring, Monaco???, Monza.

> There were some fantastic tracks in the 30's - most of them *much* longer
> than the present day tracks, the Nurburgring was the most famous, but
> others include Pescara (16 miles) , Bremgarten (4.5 miles) , Tripoli (8
> miles) , Montlhery, Brno (18 miles!)

Mugello Old Circuit - 41.135 miles...
Also: Lasarte, Spain - 11 miles
How about the *full* Nrburgring - 17.6 miles.
Montlhry, France - 7.8 miles.
And why not do the Mille Miglia and Targa Floria too...

regards
--

Don Hancock (

GPL 1937?

by Don Hancock ( » Tue, 23 Nov 1999 04:00:00

    <sarcasm mode>
    Yeah, true.  Bill Gates learned that lesson REAL well.  I know _I_ was
sure glad when he released the code to Windows.
    </sarcasm>
    Heck, he won't even document the FULL API.

Gunner

Michael

GPL 1937?

by Michael » Wed, 24 Nov 1999 04:00:00



Mille Miglia - 1000 miles of road to model! Mind you the new Rally
Championship covers 480 miles of stages so its 1/2 way there.

What you would need to write is a large scale contour map to track
converter. Then you just scan in all the maps, press go, tidy it up, add
trackside buildings and features and away you go!

- Michael

Doug Millike

GPL 1937?

by Doug Millike » Thu, 25 Nov 1999 04:00:00


> Mille Miglia - 1000 miles of road to model! Mind you the new Rally
> Championship covers 480 miles of stages so its 1/2 way there.

Anyone interested in this should read Denis Jenkinson's story of navigating
for Moss, they won this race in about 10 hours (~100 mph average).  They
were going through little 1 lane roads in villages at 140+mph, stone houses
on each side of the road.  If they only had in-car video back then!

Moss has been quoted lately (approximately), "racing is too safe these
days, the drivers are willing to take silly chances", and he knows of what
he speaks.

-- Doug Milliken

Michael

GPL 1937?

by Michael » Thu, 25 Nov 1999 04:00:00


says...

There was an interesting TV program a while back where Stirling Moss
revisited the Mille Miglia in the original Mercedes SLR, his co-driver
was a TV journalist. Even though the recent runs of the Mille Miglia are
supposed to be slow exhibition drives, Stirling was giving it full
throttle overtaking loads of cars on the wrong side of the road and
generally scaring the journo rigid:-) Still crazy after all those
years...

- Michael

Steve Ferguso

GPL 1937?

by Steve Ferguso » Thu, 25 Nov 1999 04:00:00

: There was an interesting TV program a while back where Stirling Moss
: revisited the Mille Miglia in the original Mercedes SLR, his co-driver
: was a TV journalist. Even though the recent runs of the Mille Miglia are
: supposed to be slow exhibition drives, Stirling was giving it full
: throttle overtaking loads of cars on the wrong side of the road and
: generally scaring the journo rigid:-) Still crazy after all those
: years...

Funniest thing is, Moss drives a Smart car for his London around-town
drives.

Stephen


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