rec.autos.simulators

Hi all,

I've been subscribed to this newsgroup for a while now, and would like to
know more about this racing sim
GPL. I do not have GPL and have never raced on it, but I have raced on
nearly all  Crammond's games,
including Revs, GP1, and GP2.

I am eagerly awaiting GP3, whether released on time or not, but would like
to know
what all the fuss is about for GPL. How does GPL compare to GP2, in what
ways is it a better racing sim, and
in what ways is it a worse racing sim. Please reply with constructive
annswers, as  I'm seriously  considering buying GPL, out of curiosity and
also just in case GP3 is late!

Leigh.

just get the damn thing already !!!!!!!!!!

others will go into details as to why GPL is better than all other 'sims'
..the reason i prefer it, and the reason it's *permanently* on my hard drive
is because its the only racing game worth playing !

its the only game with true 'feel' (and ive played them all) and unlike most
other racers if you *** up and crash *its your fault* not bad programming.
the learning curve is months of constant playing so dont expect to win races
straight away (if ever)

oh and get a force feedback wheel too, thats half the experience there

GPL is quite simply the best racing sim ever -- try it and you'll be hooked
from the 1st lap on your 1st track
       BUY IT NOW!!!!  :-)))))
      Dan Leach

<snip>
<snip>

Let's have a look down the checklist, then...

Circuits? Yep. Spa, Nrburgring, Monza, Rouen - 11 in all, plus a small
but high-quality selection of independently-done tracks (Brands,
Snetterton, Imola etc.), and some more converted from US games.

Cars? Yep. Lotus 49, Ferrari 312, Eagle-Weslake. There are a couple of
"fake" names, but that's easily fixed with another unofficial addon.

Speed? Yep. These cars may be 33 years old, but they're far from slow.
Virtually no chicanes, for one thing. Spa has an average speed of over
150mph, and you can easily top 200 on the straights.

Physics? Ooooh yes. This is GPL's big thing. Those in the know say it
simulates this better than any other commercial sim. There are a huge
load of setup options, and even a small change has a significant effect
on your driving once you've got the hang of things. It makes such a
difference when you trust your car to go where it should, and as
someone else pointed out, if you crash (except if the car's broken)
it's *your* fault, not the programs.

Add-ons? Yep. Lots and lots of them. New cars, new graphics, new
tracks, various utilities, soundpacks, you name it really.

Online racing? Yep, more or less. http://www.vroc.net is the place to
go here, but you might need to persevere in setting it up, as it's far
from easy. (And you need a phone line better than mine :-( )

League table? Yep. Only started a few weeks ago, but it's got very big
very fast (hence the "GPLRank" in my sig"). It's here:

http://gplrank.schuerkamp.de

Sense of ethics? Yep. It's actually very easy to alter your records in
GPL, but people just don't. It's that sense of sportingness theat is
one of the nicest things about the program.

Fanatical group of supporters, ready to ritually disembowel anyone who
dares to criticise the program? Yep. It's right here :-)

Steep learning curve? Yep, just a bit. This is the game to give to any
unsuspecting "console wizard" who claims he can master any driving game
in an afternoon. If he can do this one, he should be talking to Eddie
Jordan... it's *hard*. The flip side of this is that it's tremendously
satisfying when you get it right - I remember getting around my first
lap of Silverstone, and it was wonderful.

Then , of course, there's... oh, just go and buy the damn thing. It's
only a tenner, and will wreck the rest of your life :-)

--
David. (GPLRank handicap: +8.85)
"After all, a mere thousand yards - such a harmless little knoll,
really."
(Raymond Mays on Shelsley Walsh)

I bet this is more a matter of numbers. If 1.000.000 people would have
bought GPL, these hotlap charts would be invaded by would-be cheaters,
believe me.

JoH

Not sure about that. Remember, GPLRank is maintained, and it's possible
to kick people off, or ask for proof, it there's something suspicious
going on. In any case, cheating convincingly would require more nous
than most of that sort have...

--
David. (GPLRank handicap: +8.85)
"After all, a mere thousand yards - such a harmless little knoll,
really."
(Raymond Mays on Shelsley Walsh)

<snip an excellent case for the defense from David>

Don't forget too that http://www.timwheatley.co.uk/
has some mpeg movies of the game (sorry sim) in action. If that doesn't
sell it I don't know what will.
Kev

I didn't say they would succeed. They would just turn up. And MAYBE
succeed (enough examples from other racingsims)

JoH

    I tried it,but didn't get hooked from the first lap.Took it back!It really
depends what you like.If you are very patient AND are prepared to cast away any
life you may have at the moment,I have heard great things about GPL.Personally I
found it abit like ICRII driving model.I can't believe that the cars were that
horrible to drive!Feels like my old '67 volvo amazon the GPL cars do!;)
    Just my thoughts.It should be said that I am not the most patient man who
have ever graced the planet...

You should buy GPL whether GP3 is late or not.  GPL should be part of every
racing sim collection, in fact without GPL you don't have a collection. :)
To put it at it's most simple, if GP2 was, say roughly 80-85% realistic,
then GPL is around 98%.  On the same scale I'd be genuinely surprised if GP3
gets to 95% despite being a Geoff Crammond fan, and having played everything
he's written since Revs.
GPL is motor-sport captured on your PC.

Well Leigh, it's very hard to compare these two as they are very, very
different sims. As we all know modern F1 is very dependent of downforce
and that was not the case in -67 (GPL year). So forget about full speed
corners and 100m braking from full speed into a hairpin. If you have been
playing Gp2 and going to GPL you might think that Gpl sucks in car
handling when crashing in first turn. Thats what I mean with different
sim, you have to learn a compleatly new driving technique. But when you
learnt to master these monsters of -67 you will find it very very fun to
drive. It's a most have for any racing enthusiast. Buy it NOW, you won't
regret it.

Regards

Johan N

(Not sponsored by Papy)

its cheap enough to try even if u don't like it in the end

Martyn_D

youll never know what you missed and thats fine !

kinda like the people who watch the first season of babylon 5 and give up
because it aint that great...oh what THEY miss

On Tue, 18 Jul 2000 10:34:35 +0100, "Floating"

It is probably the best racing sim around at the moment.  Once you buy
it be prepared to fork out PLENTY of money on new keyboards, monitors,
mouses, windows, mirrors, desks, as you will basically all bash the
living shit out of all of these it is that annoying.  The graphics are
supurb, as is the sound.  It is possibly the hardest sim ever made.
It takes months upon months to learn, and even when you think you have
got as quick as you can possibly go...you go check your rank at
GPLRank once uploaded your times, and see that you are 650th out of
678!!!!  It shatters all confidence you ever had in yourself as a sim
racer, and if you havent broken a piece of your computer by the 28th
minute of racing the game...you should find it ***y enjoyable.  In
other words, if your willing to put time and effort into playing it,
and dont over correct your driving errors, then you would be a fool
not to buy the game.
___________________
Macca
"I'd kill myself for you...Id kill you for myself"
Pantera - This Love