rec.autos.simulators

In the CFG folder you'll find the controls.ini file. You can configure
your buttons there. It seems the brake bias buttons hang when trying to
choose something else.

Good Luck

  I haven't looked at the demo in a long long time,  so I cannot comment on  
the sim itself.  Other than it has a dedicated group of devotees.

  As to the controls,  Again,  I HAVEN't worked with Netkar in a long time.  
So this is only a guess.  Some previous titles had a control assignment
hiccup where you had to clear the occupied control setting before assigning
a new one.  So you had to do two things.  Find a key that was not in use
and either assign the function to that unused key,  or ..if my foggy memory
is wrecked,  you had to delete the function THEN assign it to a new-unused
key.
  Thus if you want to change the paddles from brake bias to shifting,  you
would first have to find two keys to replace the brake bias functions and
clear out the paddles...Only then could you assign shifting duties to the
paddles.  
  Good luck all

dave henrie

-Larry

I am not too proud to say my first venture in a single seater I spent
ages trying to get the darned thing into second gear so NKP seems pretty
on the mark from this POV. We have all got a bit used to pressing a
microswitch to change gear and it work perfectly everytime so a sim that
requires a driver to learn gear changing seems a bit of a shock. Once
you start to get the hang of it a lap without a missed gear seems an
achievement just as it did staying on the track when learning GPL.
Should add some spice to online racing, getting a run on a guy who
missed his upshift under pressure. Add the pressure of getting the car
restarted after a spin rather than simply putting it in neutral or
depressing the clutch and it all feels very realistic.

It is early days, maybe it was released too soon but I am convinced the
bugs will be sorted and we won't need to wait until the next version.
There is one fix out already and a number of others have been fixed and
will be released in a patch next week.

Cheers
Tony

I was able to fix the brake bias problem by editing the config file.

Starting the car in my opinion is a sensless option as you simply need to toggle the power on, then hit and hold the starter toggle switch.  Another problem is that it's very hard to see those toggle switches while in the garage.

Once out on the track the engine sounds are excellent, but in the demo mode there are no gauges, and no default setup.

On further investigation netkar doesn't include any AI's, so it's online racing or just hot lapping.

I've deleted it from my hard drive and gone back to Nascar 2003 as I strickly race off line these days.

Joel Willstein

  >
  > I'm no expert I've just experienced the same issues.
  >
  > In the CFG folder you'll find the controls.ini file. You can configure
  > your buttons there. It seems the brake bias buttons hang when trying to
  > choose something else.
  >
  > Good Luck
  >

    I haven't looked at the demo in a long long time,  so I cannot comment on  
  the sim itself.  Other than it has a dedicated group of devotees.

    As to the controls,  Again,  I HAVEN't worked with Netkar in a long time.  
  So this is only a guess.  Some previous titles had a control assignment
  hiccup where you had to clear the occupied control setting before assigning
  a new one.  So you had to do two things.  Find a key that was not in use
  and either assign the function to that unused key,  or ..if my foggy memory
  is wrecked,  you had to delete the function THEN assign it to a new-unused
  key.
    Thus if you want to change the paddles from brake bias to shifting,  you
  would first have to find two keys to replace the brake bias functions and
  clear out the paddles...Only then could you assign shifting duties to the
  paddles.  
    Good luck all

  dave henrie

| > As interesting as this looks, the posts in this thread and those at RSC
| > scare me. The author admits it is a work in progess and that's fine,
| > but no user guide, FAQ or readme INCLUDED with the software? Not
| > everyone used the alpha and beta versions before buying the full
| > version. Plus there seems to be "issues" that should have been detected
| > before release, such as the high ping readings and the "I bought the
| > full version, but can only run the demo" problem.
|
| The first update has been released which fixes the pings and long wait
| for the server list, plus activation for W2k users:
|
| http://www.netkar-pro.com/fixes/netKarPROw2kfix.zip
|
| Sure some bits were missing for the release but they seem to be coming.
| The manual is now up:
|
| http://www.netkar-pro.com/manual/
|
| Though it seems to stop at key commands - WIP I guess!
|

A good portion of the manual covers activation.  Ironically enough, that's
the easiest thing to do.  The explanation of how to configure the wheel is
just plain confusing, though I did figure it out.  It's best to do it
through the *.ini file, though.  There's some posts at RSC about what all
the stuff in the wheel configuration means.

I finally was able to get a server running--more hit and miss about how to
do that.  I emailed support and got some timely replies, it turning out that
by disabling the "multiport" I was able to join my own server on my own LAN
without synchronization problems.  Still, no one has joined my server from
the outside; thus, I'm not absolutely certain it's working.  My server does
appear on the server list, which is good.

There is little doubt that since there is no AI in the game and that online
is going to be the game's strength for the time being, that these connection
issues have to be sorted and fixed.  I think they are beginning to work on
things, with the public, as so often happens, acting as guinea pigs with
deep pockets.

Most of all the figuring out of what all this stuff means and is supposed to
do is being done by the community.  Maybe the Windows 2000 fix was an easy
thing, otherwise it seems odd that they'd go after this first, since the
percentage of those using Windows 2000 has to be small, in comparison to XP
users.

I like the game and the physics and how the cars handle, though, again, my
knowledge of such things is more intuitive than scientific.

Upon release of 1.0, NetKar was a complete mystery to everyone.  Now things
are starting to get clearer.

Alanb

I downloaded and installed the Demo/work in progress to decide if I wanted
to purchase the full package with a years worth of updates included. As
others have already stated, it's nearly impossible to get one's wheel
calibrated and the motor started. I had to read the forums, and was amazed
that so many others had the same problems.  After way too much time wasted
on trying to calibrate my TSW2, I was able to get the steering wheel to turn
and the engine to fire up. But no matter how I tried, the brake balance+
seems to be tied to my upshift button, but the downshift button isn't tied
to the brake balance- button. I've been able to drive the car, but honestly,
I'm just not impressed. I'm not going to purchase the full package until I
can get my wheel calibrated correctly, and able to turn some decent laps.

Joel Willstein

Well, you have to make sure you configure all the buttons, because it won't
come up as an error if you have one button governing two functions.  I have
a Black Momo, and like to use the paddles to shift instead of the shifter,
so that I don't have to move my hands from the wheel if I don't want to.  So
what I had to do was click the stick button in the NetKar set up, and then
depress the paddle.  Once I had up and down-shifting set to my paddles, I
had to configure the stick up and down to something else, etc.

Why they made this like this is beyond me.  Maybe the developers can say
that, hey, we were more interested in car physics than making configuring
the wheel easier, but they didn't have the user in mind, necessarily, when
they took this route.  It's all very mind boggling, as if this UI was
designed by some totally different culture who is used to doing things one
way, while the rest of the world is used to the more universal way.

But things are shaping up, and tolerance, I suppose, is in order, with a
general disbelieving shake of the head.

Alanb

Alan,

   These are many of the reasons why I opted NOT to purchase Netkar at this time. No AI, which means one can only hot lap off line. Issue after issue with configuring ones controller, and even the manual wasn't ready when they started to accept purchases. I read most of the forums and there are many sim racers that still can't get the game to work.

   It sure seems to me that they're using the sim community more as Beta testers then as paying customers.

Joel Willstein

  | > As interesting as this looks, the posts in this thread and those at RSC
  | > scare me. The author admits it is a work in progess and that's fine,
  | > but no user guide, FAQ or readme INCLUDED with the software? Not
  | > everyone used the alpha and beta versions before buying the full
  | > version. Plus there seems to be "issues" that should have been detected
  | > before release, such as the high ping readings and the "I bought the
  | > full version, but can only run the demo" problem.
  |
  | The first update has been released which fixes the pings and long wait
  | for the server list, plus activation for W2k users:
  |
  | http://www.netkar-pro.com/fixes/netKarPROw2kfix.zip
  |
  | Sure some bits were missing for the release but they seem to be coming.
  | The manual is now up:
  |
  | http://www.netkar-pro.com/manual/
  |
  | Though it seems to stop at key commands - WIP I guess!
  |

  A good portion of the manual covers activation.  Ironically enough, that's
  the easiest thing to do.  The explanation of how to configure the wheel is
  just plain confusing, though I did figure it out.  It's best to do it
  through the *.ini file, though.  There's some posts at RSC about what all
  the stuff in the wheel configuration means.

  I finally was able to get a server running--more hit and miss about how to
  do that.  I emailed support and got some timely replies, it turning out that
  by disabling the "multiport" I was able to join my own server on my own LAN
  without synchronization problems.  Still, no one has joined my server from
  the outside; thus, I'm not absolutely certain it's working.  My server does
  appear on the server list, which is good.

  There is little doubt that since there is no AI in the game and that online
  is going to be the game's strength for the time being, that these connection
  issues have to be sorted and fixed.  I think they are beginning to work on
  things, with the public, as so often happens, acting as guinea pigs with
  deep pockets.

  Most of all the figuring out of what all this stuff means and is supposed to
  do is being done by the community.  Maybe the Windows 2000 fix was an easy
  thing, otherwise it seems odd that they'd go after this first, since the
  percentage of those using Windows 2000 has to be small, in comparison to XP
  users.

  I like the game and the physics and how the cars handle, though, again, my
  knowledge of such things is more intuitive than scientific.

  Upon release of 1.0, NetKar was a complete mystery to everyone.  Now things
  are starting to get clearer.

  Alanb