rec.autos.simulators

by **Byron Forbe** » Sun, 27 Sep 1998 04:00:00

> This subject arose yesterday with the manager from my local EB store. I asked
> him if I could reserve a copy of the game he said 'yes'. I then asked him if
> he will honor the lower price as quoted in PC Gamer. He said 'yes, just bring
> in the ad'. I then asked him if he thinks the sim is going to do well. He
> said 'no not really, but the initial sales should be ok...after that although,
> the title will lose all momentum...'

I actually think exactly the opposite. I think the game will do ok at first and continue
to do ok via word of mouth reputation. Much like ICR2/Cart Racing. Just the opposite to
CPR which would have started with a bang and finished VERY soon there after with it's
pitiful reputation. Also, the interested oldies will at least partially make up for a lack
of sales to the younger simmers :)

--
Byron Forbes
Captain of Team Lightning Bolt

http://www.racesimcentral.net/~HOSHUMUNGUS

and

http://www.racesimcentral.net/~godsoe/bolt/home.htm

by **Bruce Kennewel** » Sun, 27 Sep 1998 04:00:00

True.
Make that 200,000 copies!
In Oz alone it will probably sell to the tune of several thousand in
initial and pre-Christmas sales.

> The exact break even point is probably a bit above that. It's all to easy to
> forget that of your $90, Cendant will see only about 40% of it, less fixed
> costs.

> Z.

--
Regards,
Bruce.
----------
The GP Legends Historic Motor Racing Club is located at:-
http://www.netspeed.com.au/brucek/legends/

by **Ken Bear** » Sun, 27 Sep 1998 04:00:00

>Let's see.. Check out North America. Sierra Sports are enough stupid to
>KILL Grand Prix Legend by shipping Nascar Racing 1999 just 2weeks after it.
>WOW, great marketing skill <g>. The redneck gets to the store, see GPL and
>Nascar1999. Who do they choose ? heh pretty simple.

<snip>

Hey, I'm sorta a "redneck", and I'm gonna buy both <g>

Ken

by **sata** » Sun, 27 Sep 1998 04:00:00

Its hard to say, gp2 was a mega seller and is still probably the best part
of any cash MicroProse has left! Gpl doesnt have the same hype building up
to it in mags but when it comes out I dont think any of us will doubt 90%+
are expected and that will surely get lots of peoples attention! There were
lots of non gamers who bought a pc with wheel just to play gp2 and I think
if they were prepaired to spend that much then a lot will go and get a
voodoo2 and this game and die happy.....

What I really will think will make papy some cash in the long run is the
engine. Apply this fantastic engine to anything indy, nascar, touring cars,
modern f1 and you have a mega hit wating to happen.

> I was just thinking about it tonight, and was curious as to what
>everyone else thought. Of course, most of us on this NG will buy it
because
>we are the die-hards supposedly. But to the rest of the world out there,
do
>you think this game will sell very well? Can you see Joe Consumer walking
>into his local software store and buying a 1967 Formula Racing Sim? I
>honestly can't.
>I think that the game will definately sell better overseas then it will in
>North America, but that can probably be expected seeing that it's a F1 sim.
> How many average consumers are aware that this game contains the most
>realistic physics in any racing sim ever? Of course, Sierra will state
such
>on the box, but I think that people are kinda numb to seeing "The best
ever"
>and "The most realistic such-and-such" on nearly every single game box.
>Overall, I can't really see this game seeling much better then Soda
Off-Road
>Racing in *North America*. Possibly Euro sales will carry this game. What
>does everyone think? Don't flame me or anything, I'm just trying to get
>everyone else's view.

>PS....I hope that this game IS a best seller. It DESERVES to be.

by **Bern** » Sun, 27 Sep 1998 04:00:00

Sorry about my name in the previous post...... some of my friends are true
idiots.

by **Don Burnett** » Sun, 27 Sep 1998 04:00:00

Hey,careful with that redneck stuff <g>.
I was born and bred in the eastern TN hills, love Nascar, but I will be
buying GPL the day it hits the store.
I mean, it does have at least an oval in there somewhere right?
--
Don Burnette
Palmetto Racing
Dburn on Ten
AOLL Iroc Series Administrator
http://pages.southtech.net/palmetto/aoll.htm
snip
snip

by **Andrew MacPhers** » Sun, 27 Sep 1998 04:00:00

If it doesn't it'll only be because of some narrow-minded folk missing the
point by about four miles (or my average breaking distance into the final
turn at Monza, whichever is longer).

I can't remember the last time I saw a Nascar or IndyCar race... maybe
three years now as I don't have satellite/cable. But I've bought Nascar1
twice (once on floppy, once on CD to get SVGA), Nascar2, ICR1, and ICR2
twice (because it was part of a UK bundle with B2 when it came out). Why?
Because they were the best simulators available at the time. I didn't even
know IndyCar racing existed (seriously!) until I saw reviews of ICR1. But
I didn't think "Never heard of it, must be cr*p", I thought "What an
incredible looking sim! Someone buy me a PC and do it quick!".

To me GPL isn't an F1 simulator as such, it's just the 1st serious driving
simulator! I bet (in an 99% of all statistics are made up sort of way)
there are modern production cars that handle just as "badly" as these GPL
cars. If they'd changed the graphics and called it "Kit Car Simulator '98"
or "Overpowered Porsche 911 on 2nd hand tyres with the spoilers ripped off
and the engine management gone AWOL" then it'd still be the same superb
driving experience.

Bottom line is the only reason for any sim racer not to buy this sim is
they're too lousy to handle the Noddy mode driving :-) Let them go buy RS2
instead and dribble over (the admittedly gorgeous) graphics while they're
led round the track by the nose. Me? I'm sick of hearing about the warez
version and watching the calendar dribble sloooooowly towards Oct 9th.
It's going to be a great Autumn... if I can get three months of work.

Andrew McP

by **Vinc** » Sun, 27 Sep 1998 04:00:00

I think it's very difficult to sell well such a game, even if I just
made a reservation for my copy in a computer store :-)

Well, I'm in Italy, and also here only the real F1 and F1 sims fans
will buy it. Other people think it's too difficult to handle.

That's the point. For many people it's too difficult to drive compared
with today's car sims. They don't think that this is obvious, since
the cars are from 1967 so they are very different from today's.

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by **Vinc** » Sun, 27 Sep 1998 04:00:00

Well, MonacoGP will not have official license, so maybe it will lose
some appeal because of this, but I read many posts on italian groups
about GPL being too difficult to drive, the car is too slippery, you
can't make the turns very fast and so on....
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Home-page : http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Hangar/7917
"All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain."
"E tutti quei momenti andranno perduti nel tempo, come lacrime
nella pioggia" Roy Batty, Blade Runner
---------------------------------------------------------------------

by **Vinc** » Sun, 27 Sep 1998 04:00:00

I also had a very short driving course at Jerez this March, very funny
!!!!

The problem with GPL is that maybe it will be somewhat frustrating in
the beginning, so Joe Customer will probably buy it, find it too
difficult and tell other people not to buy it... I hope you are right,
because I found GPL really exciting, even if I tried only the first
demo (Watkins Glen)
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Home-page : http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Hangar/7917
"All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain."
"E tutti quei momenti andranno perduti nel tempo, come lacrime
nella pioggia" Roy Batty, Blade Runner
---------------------------------------------------------------------

by **Ford Prefe** » Sun, 27 Sep 1998 04:00:00

PS: Crashing looks fun. That'll keep people interested while they
learn!

by **Uwe Schuerka** » Sun, 27 Sep 1998 04:00:00

>When Joe Bloggs buys a copy to run on his P150 with an S3 card and
>32mbs ram using a dinky joystick for input control what happens? Do

It gives people like me the opportunity to pick up a cheap used
copy of the game and then apply all the patches that have
come out in the meantime.

Cheers,

Uwe

--
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by **Bern** » Sun, 27 Sep 1998 04:00:00

Sorry about my name in the previous post...... some of my friends are true
idiots.

by **Remco Moe** » Sun, 27 Sep 1998 04:00:00

>>Once I had a race course, with Formula Fords. (Fun fun fun, but that's
>>another story) The instructor said: "We know that any of you believes
>>that he is the best driver around here". I think he was right.

>I also had a very short driving course at Jerez this March, very funny
>!!!!

Hehe. Walking a week with a big grin on your face, didn't you?

Is possible...But he/she then admit that he/she isn't a good driver.
Knowing people, most of them won't do that.

Remco

by **Antoine Renaul** » Sun, 27 Sep 1998 04:00:00

After racing a lot at Watkins Geln and Monza, I must say that even
though the game engine is terrific it won't cut it for me, unless they
add (in the release version) some kind of "reduce with speed" option.
It's just too damn hard to stay on the track, even (and stangely so)
on straightaways. I just can't imagine how it'll be possible to race
head to head in multiplayer mode while both players struggle to keep a
straight line...

For those of you who still think a "reduce with speed" option is
unrealistic I have two answers:

1- You wouldn't have to turn it on unless you really want to.

2- The only realistic thing to do would be to make the steering harder
to turn as speed increases. And since a) I don't think it'll be done
and mostly b) not everyone owns or can afford a Force Feedback
controller, they have to compensate and find a way to "simulate" the
effect of speed.

This problem alone will make me think twice before I buy the game.
Don't forget that a game should be fun to play (heck, we don't get
paid!) and the way it behaves right now makes me so frustrated I
sometimes feel like throwing my whole computer through my window...

Really it would be a sad thing if they didn't add such a feature.
This sim has so much potential... And don't say it's too late for
suggestions, I suggested this almost a year ago (I'm sure some will
remember that debate).

But still, I'm crossing my fingers...

A. Renault

rec.autos.simulators

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