rec.autos.simulators

I'm getting sick of GPL.

It's not that there's anything wrong with the game.  It's
just kind of tedious.  I ractice and practice until I almost
forget that I'm driving at all.   At this point, if I really force
myself to buckle down and concentrate I can beat my
best time.  I just go around and around, hoping I won't
make that one little mistake that costs me an extra 1/2
second (or sends me into the wall - what's the difference?)
and 'ruins' my lap.  It's like taking a typing test in Highschool.

Is this just one stage of mediocrity or have I simply
discovered that racing is not my bag?

rob.

Wow I have written about 10 pages worth of stuff in the past few minutes, I
need to stop.

Jesse..............More below

OH YEAH, go out to the store and get Rainbow6.  It is an international swat
team game.  Play it and try to learn all that stuff down and then when you
come back to GPL you won't have your mind on it as much and do better.
Another way to bring back the fun to GPL is try out different cars.  To get
my 21's at mosport I went and raced every other car at mosport and did the
best I could and learned new things and then when I went back to the lotus
to do some hot laps, the 21's came naturally.

|Can I get something off my chest?
|
|I'm getting sick of GPL.
|
|It's not that there's anything wrong with the game.  It's
|just kind of tedious.  I ractice and practice until I almost
|forget that I'm driving at all.   At this point, if I really force
|myself to buckle down and concentrate I can beat my
|best time.  I just go around and around, hoping I won't
|make that one little mistake that costs me an extra 1/2
|second (or sends me into the wall - what's the difference?)
|and 'ruins' my lap.  It's like taking a typing test in Highschool.
|
|Is this just one stage of mediocrity or have I simply
|discovered that racing is not my bag?
|
|rob.
|
|

|
|>Can I get something off my chest?
|>
|>I'm getting sick of GPL.
|>
|>It's not that there's anything wrong with the game.  It's
|>just kind of tedious.  I ractice and practice until I almost
|>forget that I'm driving at all.   At this point, if I really force
|>myself to buckle down and concentrate I can beat my
|>best time.  I just go around and around, hoping I won't
|>make that one little mistake that costs me an extra 1/2
|>second (or sends me into the wall - what's the difference?)
|>and 'ruins' my lap.  It's like taking a typing test in Highschool.
|>
|>Is this just one stage of mediocrity or have I simply
|>discovered that racing is not my bag?
|>
|>rob.
|>
|Jimi Hendrix said that , at times, he hated the guitar.

For the first 2 months I had GPL, I was doing the same, always hotlapping
and trying to improve my times.  I was hoping to get within a couple seconds
of the fastest hotlappers.  Well, I never made it, not even close - I got to
within 3 seconds of the hotlappers on most tracks.

At this point and just after I got my cable modem, I started racing online
with VROC.  This was the first time I had ever played a multi-player driving
sim (or any computer game for that matter).

Driving online has really helped me improve my lap times.  Trying to stay on
the track and not be a menace to others, driving within my limits, and
learning to recover when putting a wheel or two on the grass (Shift-R's
really hurts your chances of placing well).  I also started racing on more
of the tracks (many of which I rarely tried offline) and using other cars in
some VROC 'spec' races (Ferraris/Coventry only, no Lotus', etc.)

My times improved and my lap times at most tracks dropped by a couple of
seconds.  However, the hotlappers just kept getting faster and by then, I
was over 4 seconds off their best times at most tracks.

But you know what, it doesn't bother me!  I didn't know what I was missing
before I tried online racing.  Initially, the idea of racing against real
people (ok, so they're just sitting in front of PCs, just like me) made me
quite nervous, my heart rate was really going on the startline.  I'm fast
enough to mix it up in the middle to the back of most packs in VROC races
(where some of the closest racing occurs).  Dicing for position, trying to
get a good run out of corners in order to catch the draft of a racer in
front, perhaps having enough to make a clean pass.  Trying to stay ahead of
others, keeping a clean line, and yielding when they've got the advantage.
All the while, watching out to the leaders to come around, letting them by
without losing too much time to the driver I'm chasing and the driver
chasing me.  I have much more fun racing closely with others and finishing
in the middle of the pack, than I do winning way out front and setting
fastest lap (it does happen every now and then, usually if there's a few
disconnects!).

Ever since then (back in December), I've probably only played GPL offline
about once every two weeks, usually just to tinker with setups.  Otherwise,
I'm on VROC, probably about 3-4 times per week (about an hour each time).

So give it a try (if you already haven't) - you might have a lot of fun and
find the experience to be quite different from hotlapping.

Brian

IMO, the AI are better behaving than in any other sim. I've only
played a couple of Novice races at Monza for the kicks, but had some
great moments slicing into tight corners. I remember when Rodriguez
was cruising ahead of me when suddenly into the 2nd Lesmo he just
slowed down unnecessarily much, and I overshot him. For a moment I was
sure we we're going to hit but some miracle (and a lot of
trailbraking) just kept me on the groove and we came out of the corner
in reverse order than we had entered it. The only time I've had an AI
car plow to me from the beind was by Surtees =)

-
"If the meaning of life was printed in a book, someone
 would use it to keep the window open."

[snip...]

I reached that point long ago. I wanted to get good at it since I
respected the dynamics of it, but it just isn't fun to play (for me).
GPL is the first realistic sim that I really didn't care for. I admire
the era, and the drivers are heros, but its not what I'm into.

I'm a motorcycle fanatic, and I'm looking forward to checking out the
new superbike game.
For plain old online racing fun, Motocross Madness on The Zone is a
blast! I know that sounds unbelieveable, but it really is.
It hooked me hard.
There is close racing, short races (which makes a bad race livable),
racing instantly available no matter what time you log on.

If you just want to have some fun, snag the demo of MXM and go on the
Zone. There aren't as many people in the free trial room as there are
in the registered version, but you should be able to find a race.

--

        http://www.users.fast.net/~fusion1
    (dirt bikes, rat bikes, rental car abuse...)

% Can I get something off my chest?

% I'm getting sick of GPL.

% It's not that there's anything wrong with the game.  It's
% just kind of tedious.  I ractice and practice until I almost
% forget that I'm driving at all.   At this point, if I really force
% myself to buckle down and concentrate I can beat my
% best time.  I just go around and around, hoping I won't
% make that one little mistake that costs me an extra 1/2
% second (or sends me into the wall - what's the difference?)
% and 'ruins' my lap.  It's like taking a typing test in Highschool.

% Is this just one stage of mediocrity or have I simply
% discovered that racing is not my bag?

% rob.

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

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

(well ok so its four :)

-lindsay

I stay as far away from John Surtees as possible!  That AI car is insane!
Every time that he's behind me, WHACK!  I'm upside down in the grass on fire!
I just pull out of line and raise my hand before a braking spot if he's behind
me

Dan Belcher
Team Racing Unlimited

 Hehe thats so true of Surtees!!I also notice that whenever Lorenzo
Bandini gets behind me,I am gonna have a *** of a time trying to
prevent him from passing.He seems to be super aggresive amd is always
sticking his nose in the inside.I looked at the driver AI ini.file and
dont see what parameter makes him drive like this since all the top
guys have the same aggresion ranking.

  As for racing not being in your ***.Its crazy but you have to look
at GPL as if your a professional race car driver.It so closley mimics
real life that you get complelty frustrated and lose interest if you
cant compete with the AI.So race online and practice with people your
of your own caliber.I found that after all the practice ive done in
GPL,it has gotten much more fun to race.I am thinking of strategys and
lines that I couldnt do before.

  I find that a large cup of coffee and some heavy metal music right
before I get to my business of professional racing,helps me to drive
much more aggressively.Be careful though or youll find you cant get
into racing without caffeine anymore.:))))
Skeeter

|
|Nobody ever got paid to learn guitar.
|
|>But then again, we aren't getting paid to play GPL.
|>
|
|>|>rob.
|>|>
|>|Jimi Hendrix said that , at times, he hated the guitar.
|>
|>
|
|

Nobody ever got paid to learn guitar.

The e***ment is when no mistake means an incredible win against
respected opposition, to slow down means a second place only, and a
mistake means piling into the wall and last. Then it's exciting.

Cheers!
John