rec.autos.simulators

GPL is the most "real", true to life sim ever made (by far).
There is just one problem....... well three.......and they all stem
from the fact that the game is so ....maybe to...."real" in some
ways....yet very lacking in others (maybe not the fault of the sim).
I think what we need to think about is that although we are driving
a real 1967 F1 car (they did a fantastic job on this in the sim) we are
at a MAJOR DISADVANTAGE to the real life race drivers of that time.

#1. The real drivers had a real life real 3d view of the road
(and everything around them) .....we are looking at screens.

#2. The real drivers could FEEL GRIP through the seat of their pants,
through the wheel, through wind hitting the car, through the effects the
body goes through as the car unweights and gets light, etc.
We only have what we see the car doing on screen and what sounds
the tires are making through our pc speakers to get our feel of "grip".

#3. Real drivers had good reason to fear for their lives as they raced in
that time (F1 in 1998 is 100 times more safe and it`s still not "safe").
When your life is on the line you develop a type of concentration thats
just not possible in a computer sim......
We can only develop our levels of concentration by our desire to do well
and how long we can stare at our screens without getting a headache.
FEAR is a great way to help build (and keep) needed concentration levels.

So does the above make GPL good ? or bad?
I think that if someone can do real fast laps in this sim (lap afer lap)
they should sign up to a real racing school and/or real life racing league,
because when they add their sim skills to the advantages
(above three points) that real life racers have.........they could very well
have more talent than the top F1 drivers of today (or back then).

Back to GPL good or bad?........
I dont know....... and after each lap I drive I dont seem to get
any closer to an answer.

I wonder if anyone will be able to master it......
If no one can master it, then I think it`s more a reflection on the real
life things (feelings) a sim lacks than any problem with the talent level
of the top sim racers, or what they might be able to do in the real car
if given half the chance.
All I know, is that it is very Interesting, looks great,
and It`s a really nice change from GP2, F1RS, ICR2 etc.
It can also "drive" you crazy......

So what do you guys/gals think ?

Lorne

P.S.
Alison, if you read this, I would love to hear your thoughts
(remove the x to reply or post to group).

On Sat, 03 Oct 1998 06:29:22 GMT, "Lorne Glustein"

<snipage>

Good......no, great! After a few hours of fooling around with the sim,
and quite frankly getting a bit aggrivated, I finally listened to what
everyone was saying.

First, thanks to Alyson Hines......she has some great tips set up at
her site. Like many of you, I was jumping right into the GP car
expecting to do reasonable well. After extensive time with the demo, I
was a little***y in thinking I could do well in the GP car right off
the bat. WRONG.

Alyson has some great info posted about editing the player.ini file to
set yourself up in the trainer cars in race mode (see her site at
http://www.racesimcentral.net/~alison/gpl/). Create a new driver name for
each car, then start with the 200 HP trainer. This is really the only
way to learn the circuit.....can't emphasize that enough. Get
proficient with that before moving to the middle 400HP car. I ran
France for about 4 hours last night using the above method. I'm now in
the middle car turning very good laps, and after some more testing,
feel I can climb into the GP and do reasonably well.

I hope the learning curve is just as steep for N2000. I love this sim.

         *** Tim Wortman ***
       NASS '98 Series Director

      *** NASS '98 Homepage ***
       www.nasscar.com/n2.html
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<snip>
% #2. The real drivers could FEEL GRIP through the seat of their pants,
% through the wheel, through wind hitting the car, through the effects the
% body goes through as the car unweights and gets light, etc.
% We only have what we see the car doing on screen and what sounds
% the tires are making through our pc speakers to get our feel of "grip".

This is the "real" weakness in GPL (and any other "leisure" sim)
available.  However, a "good" driver will soon learn to compensate for
the lack of "***awareness" and make up for it via the other cues that
Papyrus has provided us.

% Back to GPL good or bad?........
% I dont know....... and after each lap I drive I dont seem to get
% any closer to an answer.

% I wonder if anyone will be able to master it......
% If no one can master it, then I think it`s more a reflection on the real
% life things (feelings) a sim lacks than any problem with the talent level
% of the top sim racers, or what they might be able to do in the real car
% if given half the chance.
% All I know, is that it is very Interesting, looks great,
% and It`s a really nice change from GP2, F1RS, ICR2 etc.
% It can also "drive" you crazy......

% So what do you guys/gals think ?

Just like a person who is "sight impared" or has some other sensual
imparement learns to compensate with their other senses, one can learn
to do the same thing with GPL.  It's a challenge, but one that is very
rewarding once it's accomplished.

Today, I found myself so "enraptured" by the physics and "feel" of GPL
that I accidentally pressed on the brake while shifting gears (I
subconsciously was engaging the clutch).  Mind you this is after hours
of dealing with the demo and "knowing" I had no clutch pedal with my
Thrustmaster setup.  This is how engrossing GPL can be once one adapts
to the limited cues that are available.

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

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