rec.autos.simulators

I have 2 p200+ pc's and i thought it would be nice to see if they could
play gp2 in linked mode.

I have a cable i use for linking them via dos 6.2 (laplink) and tried
that but both pc's just sit waiting with no handshake.

The gp2 manual says use a null modem cable, is this a fully wired cable
where mine is only (4? i think) wires.

Or is this another one of those red herrings "its in the book but doesnt
work"??

I got my cable supply price list out and it says that serial laplink
cables are 4.95 and null modem cables are 3.50.....if null modem
cables are fully wired how come they are cheaper?

Ideas anyone....please.

Mike.

--

04/26/97 16:27
[ Standard Disclaimer ]

It DOES work. I use null modem cable and it infact has 9 wires.
Works perfectly, just make sure you have both PC's det to the same
frame rate.

Bye

Cris

The cable you need has the following wiring :

 1 -------------------------------- 1
 2 -------------------------------- 3
 3 -------------------------------- 2
 4 -------------------------------- 5
 5 -------------------------------- 4
 7 -------------------------------- 7
 6 ----|--------------------------- 20
 8 ----|
20 ---------- ----------------|---- 6
                              |---- 8

This is a fully wired nullmodem cable.

The cable you have is, I guess, the minimal wired version
which you cannot use for GP2.
 2 -------------------------------- 3
 3 -------------------------------- 2
 7 -------------------------------- 7
 4 --|                          |-- 4
 5 --|                          |-- 5
 6 ----|                      |---- 6
 8 ----|                      |---- 8
20 ----|                      |---- 20

Hope this helps.
--
Ren van Lobberegt, The Netherlands.
http://www.toptown.com/INNERCIRCLE/1846/

To link two pc's together to play games you must use a NULL MODEM cable.

This is a special type of cable, do not try to use any other type of
cable as it will not work.

Try to get the pc's as close together as possible and buy the best
quality and shortest null modem lead you can, its worth it!!!!

Also make sure the gp2 files on both pc's are IDENTICAL, and preferably
you do not want any patches installed, if you do, they have to be the
same patches on each pc, and they should have been installed in exactly
the same order on each pc.

d:~)

#:~>  **Peter**

Wrong, you don't need this fully wired cable to link GP2. Unless my computer
can do magic of course... I use a home-made cable with three wires like the
one you described as a minimal wired version and it works just fine, if you
would call linking in GP2 fine... :(

Joeri Cox

o---------------------------------------------------------------------o
|  Visit my Formula T2 Upgrade Page! <> http://huizen.dds.nl/~jjcox/  |
o---------------------------------------------------------------------o
                  .o>> No counter & no commerce! <<o.

Hate to be the bearer of bad news. Maybe you could use your time more
wisely
like telling Microprose how you feel about their so-called
"masterpiece".
The link code was altered from a different game.

-DG-

[ deletia ]

I'm currently in a GP2 season involving six persons and two
PCs over serial line.

Each of us has designed his own car and helmet and submitted
the bitmap files to the "setup keeper" who uses Steven
Young's GP2 Windows Editor (1.53) to maintain the current
database.

Young's editor creates a special file containing all
graphics and performance data. To synchronize the executable
GP2 file on both computers you just install the editor on
both computers, copy the editor setup file to all computers
that might become peers and use the editor's export command
to manipulate the executable.

Tschuess
--

As for your attitude, I'd return it from the place of purchase and ask
for a full refund. Maybe if you complain to your supplier they will send
you a patch!!!

-DG- says....

"Gp2? moan, whinge, whine
grrrrrr, Gp2, wimper, whine, moan
***y useless, whinge, Aaaarrrhhh"

d:~)

#:~>  **Peter**

=8>)

-DG-

On Tue, 29 Apr 1997 02:13:14 -0500, David Gary

I ran it the other weekend with a friend on a null-modem cable. I had
about 16 fps, i have about 18fps normally.

On Fri, 02 May 1997 03:39:42 -0500, David Gary

Morten

Wow, you know in all my 32 years, no one has ever tried that joke (gag)
before!!!!

Honest, I have never heard that before? You are SOOoooooo original?

Yyyaaawwwnnnnnnnn.....ZZZzzzzzzzz............

Oh, by the way to stop someone from talking, is to "gag" them.

d:~)

#:~>  **Peter**

To all those who offered helpful suggestions on how to get my link
working for GP2....thank you.

I got a fully wired null modem cable and connected it to com 1 on both
pc's, set gp2 to linked mode and it worked. Both had nocdrom and 97car
set add ons and one was set to run at 21.5fps and the other 23.5fps as
the vid cards dictated.

Of course the frame rate linked was awful jerky...but it did work. I
then set the rates down to 16fps on each pc and added the command line
"use16550", that sorted it.

Real smooth play on both pc's with one running at p200+ and the other at
p166+.

A 1.38500 lap of Japan really was that time at that frame rate!

I then set up a seperate dir on each pc and copied gp2 into both with
everything set correct for linked play and set up a batch file to call
it easy from both the c:\, that way i dont have to keep messing with the
single pc frame rates etc when we finish a linked session.

The only problem i have now is with my mouse which was on com 1 on both
pc's with modems on com 2. I had to remove the mouse on one and use the
keyboard instead, this pc has a ps2 enabled mobo but no connect cable to
fit to...yet. The other (m-tech mustang) has a ps2 socket fitted but the
mouse driver for dos is self seeking and looks for the port with a mouse
on starting at ps2 then com1-4, well with the null cable connected to
com 1 every 2nd or 3rd boot it misses the ps2 port and finds the com1
link cable and tries to enable that as the mouse port or gets so
confused it just doesnt give a mouse at all!

I suppose the answer is to discon the link cable after use but i did
want to keep it all connected.

My plug and pray seems to have used up all my spare irq's or i would fit
an i/o card and use that for the mouse and disable the ps2 in bios, that
may have worked better.

One last thing i dont seem to have worked out yet is how to save a hot
lap in linked free practice, i see you can save the game but the hot lap
save is greyed out?

Sorry if this has been too long for some, but it might help somebody
else who has the same type of problems i had.

Mike.