rec.autos.simulators

I have tried the GPL demo, and I was wondering if you could answer any of
these questions:

1) Is a steering wheel essential for GPL? I can't seem to control the cars,
I press "left" and the car turns about 90 degress left, not about 5 or 6
degrees. I can't even drive around the track without hitting a wall.

2) Is there a reverse option? I.e if you go into a wall you can actually
reverse out of it. In the demo you can't reverse, so if you hit a wall at 90
degrees you couldn't do anything - you had to quit.

3) You have to have a voodoo card - the game demo is not playable on
software mode! The graphics on GP2 are better........
Are the graphics for software mode just as bad in the game or do I have to
buy a voodoo card?

4)The sound is really poor in the demo. I can hear the wind but that's about
it. Is it different in the game?

5) Is the game quite flexible, i.e. are there tracks you can download off
the internet, cars you can download etc. Also have any of you got the Saitek
R4 force feedback wheel? I'm thinking of getting it. What's stopping me is
that I know it won't work in GP2.

6) Is the force feedback good in GPL?

Thanks very much, I appreciate any thanks you can give me.

Michael
---------------------------------------------------------------
Come.to/grandprix3: http://www.racesimcentral.net/
Formula 1 HeadQuarters: http://www.racesimcentral.net/

ICQ: 35693329
---------------------------------------------------------------

Do you drive your car with a keyboard or a wheel? ;-)  Same applies to
driving games, nothing beats a wheel and pedals.  Logitech Wingman Formula
Force and TSW2 are my 2 wheels.

Check your control set up, you must assign a key for down shift and up
shift.  To shift into reverse you must down shift THROUGH neutral and into
reverse.  It works in the demo.

A 3d card is a must (rendition or Glide supported bc Open GL patch is
inferior).  I wouldn't even try software mode.  The graphics, while not
bright and flashy, are excellent and my personal favorite for a racing sim.

This game has the best engine sounds of any racing game I've ever played so
you are certainly having a problem.

There are TONS of great GPL sites for set-ups, even better sounds, an add-on
track (Brands Hatch), and various utilities.  This is the #1 driving sim so
support is plentiful.

The force feedback is outstanding, by far the best yet.  Better than MGPR2,
F1RS, OF1R, and SCGT by a great margin!  I bought a FF wheel just for the FF
in GPL.  Viper racing is a close second.   GPL FF adds another dimension to
the game that I never thought possible.  You can feel truly feel the weight
of the car.  The inertia and/or loss of grip is excellent.  You just have to
try it to believe it, it makes the best sim even better.

Your welcome.  If you're in the market for a serious driving sim with great
long term value GPL is honestly the greatest racing sim ever made.

---
Joe Marques

I'm thinking of getting Saitek R4 FFB wheel........
Whoops, forgot about that..........
sim.
Hmm...I'll have to fork out about 80 for a voodoo2, 110 for a Saitek R4,
20 for the game.....$210!!Ouch!
I just heard there is no force feedback though..............
Thanks a lot
Michael

yes

yes

I never had the demo,  went right for the game,  but mine sounds great
on a SB Live!

Tracks? not many  Cars? lots  plus lots more enhancements
as far as a FF wheel it seems most would recommend Microsoft's or
Logitech's.

YES!

With the new patch, there is great FF.
--
* rrevved at mindspring dot com
* http://www.cabal.net
* http://www.sputum.com

To answer some of your questions:

Either a good steering wheel or joystick is an essential piece of kit
for Grand Prix Legends, I'm afraid. You'll understand why once you try
it with an analogue controller.

If you're worried about the high prices of steering wheels, don't. You
can actually find some for quite reasonable prices, such as the Logic3
Topdrive wheel, which features 4 buttons, a D-Pad, a gear stick and
pedals all for around 50, which is pretty reasonable, especially
compared to some of the better quality wheels which can reach the
hundreds of pounds worth.

Weren't you able to press CTRL+R to reset the car on the track after
an accident?

A good 3D really can make the world of difference, and Grand Prix
Legends is perhaps one of the best examples of this. However, if
you're not interested in the Voodoo2 or Voodoo3, you can buy the
TNT2/TNT2 Ultra. Whilst neither of these are 3Dfx, you can download
the Glide drivers for Grand Prix Legends, which has only a slight
decrease in performance over 3Dfx.

The sounds sounded fine in my demo. This could be due to a driver
conflict, or you may need to tweak the settings. Check out the Readme.

There is now!

Just a little note: The real version is FAR better than the demo.

YES YOU NEED A WHEEL.  It is a MUST.  These cars are hard enough to drive as
it is.  Keyboards are 'digital' controls.  Either full on or full off.
Wheels are 'analog' - you can have off, 10% on, 39% on, full on, whatever.
Much easier to drive.

Yes, there is a reverse.  Just keep shifting down and you'll get there (down
past neutral).

A Vooodoo2 is really needed - though there are rendition cards too, they're
worthless for other games.

Yes, it gets better, and you can get better sounds from the net.

All of the above - tracks, cars, and a FF patch.

--
Kirk Lane


ICQ: 28171652
BRT #187

"I read dead Russian authors volumes at a time
I write everything down except what's on my mind
'Cause my greatest fear is the sucking sound
And then I know I'll never get back out"
                         -'Narcolepsy', Third Eye Blind

http://start.at/greenflag
--

And yes it is really awesome! GPL with FF is absolutely fantastic/impressive
......!!!!

Jan.

Although most people have recommended using a wheel to get the most out
of GPL, you certainly can get by with a joystick if you can't afford a
wheel at the moment, though even with this, the better the quality the
better you'll drive and the longer it'll last. Cheap joysticks just
don't last longer than about a couple of months with excessive use, and
if you start to enjoy this game that's exactly what it's going to get.  

So if you do decide to buy a joystick at least expect to pay 30 or more
for one.  And despite what most people here might say, you can be just
as fast with a joystick.  It's just not quite as emmersive, that's all.
--
Peter Ives

If you're going to use a joystick for driving (with pedals, of course),
I'd suggest the CH Products FlightStick
(http://www.chproducts.com/shop/classic.html - the one in the upper
left; us$25).

Randy

You are correct, but it was a typo in my previous message. It was
intended to read 'you can download the OpenGl drivers for Grand Prix
Legends...'

I appreciate the correction however.

Dave Bowman

In response to your statement on cheap joysticks - the same thing goes
for steering wheels, only perhaps more so. It's best to hear from
other people, and perhaps read some on-line reviews about a particular
wheel before buying it. Cheap wheels, such as some from Logic3 will
not last long at all. My Logic3 pedals stopped functioning after 7
days, and now, less than a year later, the right pedal is stuck to the
floor and one of the buttons won't spring back into position.

I need to buy a well built steering wheel next. Perhaps I could
convert the wheel from my car? ;-)

Dave Bowman

I've had mine for almost 12 months and the on;y "problem" I've experienced
is an easing of the spring tension in the accelerator pedal.

Do you know the homepage for Ferraro, as I'd like to take a look at
this wheel...

Dave Bowman