online with him later that evening. I asked him which track he wanted
to drive on, and he chose Barcelona.
Allthough I like F1 2000, I haven't played it very much, maybe for
10-20 hours in total. I never drove on the Barcelona track before, and
I didn't even know the layout of the track.
So I started practising. After 5 laps or so I knew the layout of the
track and I could start on improving my lap times. 1.26, 1.24, 1.22,
every lap my times got faster. I wondered what a good laptime would
be, so I went to www.bhmotorsports.com.
I downloaded a couple of setups and a barcelona 1.16 replay.
Watched the replay a couple of times, remembered how the guy drove his
car, and started practising using his setup. Withing half an hour I
also drove 1.16 laps.
My friend called me later that evening, and asked me how I was doing.
I told him about my 1.16 pb, and he didn't believe me, his pb was
1.21. I told him about how I did it, by watching someone else's replay
and using his setup. Then it was simply a question of remembering his
driving line.
He didn't think this was fair, everybody could do it this way. And I
agree with him. Like allmost every other driving game, it's just about
practising a lot, and in the end everybody can drive superfast
laptimes, even without knowing anything about car physics.
Strange thing is, in GPL, I'm still stuck at 1.27.77 as my pb at
Monza. I watched hundreds of replays, used numerous hotshot setups,
but still I'm far away from that 1.26 lap. After 2 years of practising
every single day!
As far as I'm concenred, GPL is the only sim which requires not only
lots of practice, but also a very good understanding of car physics,
and a dosis of talent. Driving on the edge by playing very carefully
with the brake and the throttle, by feeling what the car does and is
going to do, is the way to get those lap records.
After I drove a 1.16 lap with F1 2000 I didn't have any victorious
feelings. It was just a little bit practising and didn't demand any
skills or talent, just practise. But when I drove a 1.27 on Monza in
GPL for the first time I knew I deserved it, that I worked for it,
that I finally started to understand something about handling a car at
high speed.
Same as for f1 2000 goes for Porsche 2000. I had lots of fun with this
great game, but with the driving skills test it was also just a
question of lots of practise. I had a hard time with those 360 spins
in the GT1, untill someone here on RAS posted how to do it. After I
read this, I succeeded on the first try. But I don't think I would
have succeeded if I tried this out in a real GT1 car...
I'm not too sure what to think of rc2000. I like it very much, no
doubt, but does it have anything to do with driving skills, or is it
more a question of having good reflexes, and perhaps a little bit of
luck?
After thinking about this, I started to realize that it's not the
fault of these simulations. Driving a f1 car in F1 2000 doesn't give
me half the satisfaction as driving a Lotus 49 does. In a Lotus I have
allmost no downforce, I have to work that car around the corner.
A Lotus 49 in GPL feels like pure racing, a modern f1 car in F1 2000
feels like a Go Kart driving ten times as fast.
Driving in F1 2000 is fun, driving in RC2000 is exciting, driving in
GPL is pure art.
I like GPL.
Andre
PS: After I told my friend I drove a 1.16 lap on barcelona in F1 2000,
he suggested a GPL online race instead, and we had lots of fun at
Indianapolis :)