rec.autos.simulators

GPL: I've just completed a lap!!!

Denn

GPL: I've just completed a lap!!!

by Denn » Fri, 07 Apr 2000 04:00:00

Yep, I've had this thing for 2 weeks now, and I have just
completed a lap without crashing, mistake, and with a
reasonable time (1:42, yeah yeah, I know, I suck!) and
most importantly, without some dumb AI driver ramming
me off the road (this on the Monza track). Damned, this
thing is hard.

Dennis.

LL

GPL: I've just completed a lap!!!

by LL » Fri, 07 Apr 2000 04:00:00

If you want to learn do it without the other cars....

Choose training it's much easier to start with.

but 1.42 is not so bad for a start.



Brett C. Camma

GPL: I've just completed a lap!!!

by Brett C. Camma » Fri, 07 Apr 2000 04:00:00


Congratulations!  That's the great thing about GPL is the tremendous
gratification you feel when you do accomplish something.  It is a
tough sim because it is accurate.  Those were damned tough cars to
drive well.

Regards,
Brett C. Cammack
That's Racing! Motorsports
Pompano Beach, FL

Denn

GPL: I've just completed a lap!!!

by Denn » Fri, 07 Apr 2000 04:00:00



> If you want to learn do it without the other cars....

> Choose training it's much easier to start with.

I know, I thought of that around 02:00, but then it was time
for bed :-( if only there were 26 hours in a day.

I thought lots of people were getting sub 1:30s on Monza. 12
seconds is a lot of time. Will I gain much from tweaking the
setup of the car? (haven't done this yet). I was using the BRM
car. Is there also a difference in car performance, if so, which one
is the fastest?

Dennis. (can't wait to get back from work)



>> Yep, I've had this thing for 2 weeks now, and I have just
>> completed a lap without crashing, mistake, and with a
>> reasonable time (1:42, yeah yeah, I know, I suck!) and
>> most importantly, without some dumb AI driver ramming
>> me off the road (this on the Monza track). Damned, this
>> thing is hard.

>> Dennis.

Ace

GPL: I've just completed a lap!!!

by Ace » Fri, 07 Apr 2000 04:00:00

One piece of aqdvice: don't touch those setups! You'll find a hell of a lot
of time once you know the track intimately, and get down to 1:30-1:31 sort
of times. Before your times are stable, messing with setups is a waste of
time. And make sure you understand how these parameters affect the car
before you start tweaking. (although you may want a lower fuel load)
Remember, (1) Line, (2)Corner exit speed, (3)corner entry speed, in that
order of importance.
Getting  (1) right will help with (2). Learn the line by using the groove as
reference (not an absolute, as such), and maybe get to know the circuit in
the trainers before taking the F1 cars.
IMO, The BRM is a pain because of the 6 speed box and the quirky power
curve, but you'll have to try all the cars and find your personal favourite.
The Eagle is very quick, the Lotus is also fast (but tougher to drive). The
Honda/Murasama is quite good here (Surtees won with it in '67) and while
maybe not *quite* as fast as the the aforementioned cars, can be more
forgiving. Up to you



>> If you want to learn do it without the other cars....

>> Choose training it's much easier to start with.

>I know, I thought of that around 02:00, but then it was time
>for bed :-( if only there were 26 hours in a day.

>> but 1.42 is not so bad for a start.

>I thought lots of people were getting sub 1:30s on Monza. 12
>seconds is a lot of time. Will I gain much from tweaking the
>setup of the car? (haven't done this yet). I was using the BRM
>car. Is there also a difference in car performance, if so, which one
>is the fastest?

>Dennis. (can't wait to get back from work)

Richard G Cleg

GPL: I've just completed a lap!!!

by Richard G Cleg » Fri, 07 Apr 2000 04:00:00



:>Yep, I've had this thing for 2 weeks now, and I have just
:>completed a lap without crashing, mistake, and with a
:>reasonable time (1:42, yeah yeah, I know, I suck!) and
:>most importantly, without some dumb AI driver ramming
:>me off the road (this on the Monza track). Damned, this
:>thing is hard.

: Congratulations!  That's the great thing about GPL is the tremendous
: gratification you feel when you do accomplish something.

  Indeed - the great thing about GPL is that it is so damn hard that
doing at all well feels really really great.

  I was so chuffed recently because my league racing practice has
improved my times so much.  I went to Rouen for the first time in ages
and knocked a whacking great 4 seconds off my best lap with almost no
effort (admittedly still getting a lap time of 2:02 which is sloooooow
but that should come down soon).

--
Richard G. Clegg       Only the mind is waving
    Networks and Non-Linear Dynamics Group
      Dept. of Mathematics, Uni. of York
     UPDATED WWW: http://manor.york.ac.uk/

Richard G Cleg

GPL: I've just completed a lap!!!

by Richard G Cleg » Fri, 07 Apr 2000 04:00:00

:> but 1.42 is not so bad for a start.

: I thought lots of people were getting sub 1:30s on Monza. 12
: seconds is a lot of time.

  Sure - to be competetive online you should be sub 1:30.  But give it a
chance - some people get there quickly - it took me weeks.

: Will I gain much from tweaking the
: setup of the car? (haven't done this yet). I was using the BRM
: car. Is there also a difference in car performance, if so, which one
: is the fastest?

  Lotus and Eagle are fastest.  BRM is slooooooowwwwwwww.  Set ups do
make a difference but don't fiddle with them yet since you won't have
developed the mechanical sensitivity to understand it.  I wasted a lot
of practice time trying to cure understeer/oversteer which was, in fact,
just ***driving.  Sometimes you suffered understeer - sometimes you
just braked too late and plowed off into the barrier.

  I'd recommend learning in the Ferrari with Alison Hine's Ferrari set
ups which are pretty forgiving.  Once you're down in the 1:30.xx region
at Monza then give consideration to getting better set ups.  

--
Richard G. Clegg       Only the mind is waving
    Networks and Non-Linear Dynamics Group
      Dept. of Mathematics, Uni. of York
     UPDATED WWW: http://www.racesimcentral.net/

Denn

GPL: I've just completed a lap!!!

by Denn » Fri, 07 Apr 2000 04:00:00



> IMO, The BRM is a pain because of the 6 speed box and the quirky power
> curve, but you'll have to try all the cars and find your personal favourite.
> The Eagle is very quick, the Lotus is also fast (but tougher to drive). The
> Honda/Murasama is quite good here (Surtees won with it in '67) and while
> maybe not *quite* as fast as the the aforementioned cars, can be more
> forgiving. Up to you

Ok, so I picked the wrong car (I liked the looks). I had some problems with
going off the track due to the car suddenly going sideways while shifting.

Dennis.

David Montan

GPL: I've just completed a lap!!!

by David Montan » Fri, 07 Apr 2000 04:00:00

Please put things in perspective, switching to an Eagle, Ferrari, or Lotus
will chop off four seconds-ish immediately.  Unless you have a lot of
experience driving (which I certainly didn't), the other seconds are going
to come with time - a lot of it.  It took me about a month or so to get to
the "respectable" 1:32 range.  I'm still amazed at how late I was braking in
each turn then; I mean I knew that the exit was more important than the
entrance on an intellectual level, but I didn't really know what that meant
on the track.  Welcome to an annoying, ***ive game.
David
Tony StewartNo

GPL: I've just completed a lap!!!

by Tony StewartNo » Fri, 07 Apr 2000 04:00:00

i had this game for a long time and yet i still crash once every 10 laps i get
to exited!!! lol and then make a mistake.. ::sigh::

Andrew MacPhers

GPL: I've just completed a lap!!!

by Andrew MacPhers » Fri, 07 Apr 2000 04:00:00

I'm not very fast (usually see just a few 1:29's at Monza during a race)
but most of my setups are just the default with less fuel. Setups do help
after a certain point, but at the start you certainly don't need that
layer of complication.

1) Adjust your detail setting so you get 36fps all (or at least most) of
the time.

2) Don't keep changing cars and/or setups. I stuck with the F1 Lotus from
the start because I have limited time and talent :-) Once you've mastered
<hehe> one car the others "just" feel like variations on the same theme.
But it helps to have stuck with one while building your confidence.

3) Be patient....which is the hardest part... and the best part. Nothing
worth having comes quickly in my experience (especially women <g>).

4) I liked learning WG because it's short (ie you soon get chance to try
that section again while it's fresh in your memory) and has a wide
variation of corners. At Monza you're spending a lot of time with your
foot down, which only teaches you to be scared of braking <g>. Mind you,
that's not a bad lesson!

5) Remember that (i) GPL is only a game (ii) GPL is no more realistic than
half a dozen other sims (which model blades of grass and sunsets much more
accurately) (iii) in 3 months time you run the risk of being one of the
GPL-Borg. You will be assimilated or ridiculed until your fragile usenet
ego is ***led into the stinking mud where all Unbelievers belong.

6) Retain your sense of humour, much more use than a fast setup ;-)

Andrew McP

Don Burnett

GPL: I've just completed a lap!!!

by Don Burnett » Fri, 07 Apr 2000 04:00:00

Lol, congrats!!
Keep it up, you'll get there and it will be very satisfying.
I loaded up GPL after a few months off a couple of evenings ago, and last
night ran a full intermediate fuel run (11laps) at Monza without spinning
out - training mode. Most laps pretty consistant 1:30's, with a couple
1:29's in for good measure.
Man, what a feeling. I'm almost ready to race the ai once again :)

--
Don Burnette
Dburn in N3 and Legends


markgam

GPL: I've just completed a lap!!!

by markgam » Fri, 07 Apr 2000 04:00:00


I'm glad to see someone else who like the default setups. I fiddle and
adjust and tweak and after driving myself nuts I find that usually I'm no
faster (or worse, slower!!) than with the defaults. GRE has helped, but I
still end up getting myself into trouble.

Also, to have some fun, download the AI Tweaker from The Pits. It's more fun
to race the AI when you actually have a chance to beat it!!

Andrew MacPhers

GPL: I've just completed a lap!!!

by Andrew MacPhers » Sat, 08 Apr 2000 04:00:00

Been there, done that. The best thing about GPL is probably the fact that
every lap is a battle not against the track, the physics, or the AI, but
with yourself! That's a battle you never win, which is probably why so
many people run scared. Every time you hit the track you stare your
limitations full on in the face, warts and all. Other sims offer a much
more flattering reflection of your abilities, which isn't necessarily a
bad thing. Horses for courses.

Andrew McP

Denn

GPL: I've just completed a lap!!!

by Denn » Sat, 08 Apr 2000 04:00:00





>> > Will I gain much from tweaking the setup of the car?

>> I'm not very fast (usually see just a few 1:29's at Monza during a race)
>> but most of my setups are just the default with less fuel. Setups do help
>> after a certain point, but at the start you certainly don't need that
>> layer of complication.

> I'm glad to see someone else who like the default setups. I fiddle and
> adjust and tweak and after driving myself nuts I find that usually I'm no
> faster (or worse, slower!!) than with the defaults. GRE has helped, but I
> still end up getting myself into trouble.

> Also, to have some fun, download the AI Tweaker from The Pits. It's more fun
> to race the AI when you actually have a chance to beat it!!

Ok, I've tried the training mode and the Lotus car. BUT, in training I could
not get below 1:55, wassup? Also, the car seemed much more driveable,
i.e. I could take almost all medium turns flat out. Huh? So I started to fiddle
with the setup, because I thought I wasn't getting a proper gearing. I was
flat out almost the complete lap. Anyway, after a lot of fiddling, I got no closer
to 1:55 than before. So I switched back to single race and went off the track
the first corner. This was much faster, but how come? Also the engine revved
way higher than in training. Was that because the novice training mode? I didn't
want to try, too busy trying to get below 1:40 (which I did, 1:39.45 hehe).

I'm going back to the default setup tonight and try again. (Does it load the
preferred setup at the start of a single race? I didn't check). Also, I finally found
the option for repairin gthe car on the track, previously when I crashed, I started
in the pit again. Man this is nice, no need to do a whole lap again (this feature
should be in 30 point font somewhere on the box or something, hehe, I guess
I should have RTFM).

Dennis.


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