rec.autos.simulators

Why don't i see any letters from Geoff Crammond in this newsgroup?

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Henrik Hjortnaes
      AMIGA
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Because if he had shown his face here I guarantee he would have been
flamed to a crisp over the last few months (we tend to attack whoever is
here rather than what is the actual problem). Then we would never have
got GP2....

Geoff doesn't _personally_ read the newsgroups or on-line services at
all.

Cheers!
John

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He's probably on HOLIDAY for the next 2 years!

Sal V.

Al

Best,
Gabriel/Spectrum HoloByte & MicroProse support
Official GP2 page http://www.microprose.com/gp2/

 Hi there (Well I hope not at work)

   Is there going to be a 96 livery patch or will it be an addon

  As the origional was very reasonably prices at 30 poundooooos I suppose
  a little charge for it migh be OK

  rob

I don't know why...but i'm a bit tired to read about everybody hardware
configurations. Can we talk about the game itself???

First off, GP2 is a brilliant game, but maybe you should have taken the
time to see some of the other products out there and you would find:

1.  Easier to use setups, such as garage in ICR2
2.  Have control over types of damage:  realistic, arcade, none - instead
of this arcade damage you programmed into the game whether
rookie-amateur-ace etc.
3.  Paintkit package
4.  More complete manual, the one the comes with the game is very hard to
understand, it took me two days to figure out how to get rid of steering
help, change to another car.
5.  Performance of all chasis/engine combos seem the same.

Not trying to complain since what you did well you did great, but you
left too much arcade game feel into the sim.  Snake

Aha! So that is how it works! I didn't reaize it would get harder to
break the car as I move up. I'm only at "amateur"

How about... Replays!!!! I can't even quite figure out if they are in
this or now; the manual is beyond cryptic. Janes' Longbow manual was
simpler than this (and about 100 pages longer). I understand that we
americans got ripped on the manual deal. Anybody else can verify that?
Seems rather unfair.

Amen! Why, i repeat *why*, is steering help in the control menu?! I'd
love to have had one of the F keys toggle it- my 5 year old races now
and then, and hunting through menus to toggle steering is a pain And
what is opposite lock help, anyway?

Too subtle for me. I never really discovered the great difference in
ICR2 either, and I raced it constantly from December until a month or
so ago.

I LOVE the game. I think it will win all pertinent awards. All in all,
I am amazed at what Geoff DID think of. But let's get Geoff thinking
about some of these details.

I'd add to your list:

SOME kind of instant replay- even only 10 seconds and from one
perspective. How many time did you hit <ESC> and try to see who tapped
you or who punted you in ICR2's little replay window? Usually pretty
humbling...

SOME way to know what my personal best is on any given track. I don't
think there is any way now, and that is sort of amazing to me. I'd say
that is what I miss most. Please let me know if there is some way
other than (I guess) to beat the track records.

SOME way to bypass sitting on the track both at the beginning and the
end of "Quickraces." By the time the CD starts loading the race and I
get the green, I'm bored. I wouldn't mind so much in the formal
races... But I save those for special times. Most of the time I just
have time for the quick races.

Also for the quickraces- an instant restart function, like ICR2's
<shift-r>. IN ICR2 the <shift-r> was only a  cheat in the real races,
but in anything less than a 30 % distance race, it should be an
option. How many times have you tangled with someone on the first
turn, and had to sit there 2 minutes waiting for it to load up again?
Oh ya- also, get rid of those default "No" answers to "Are you Sure
you want to Abandon/quit/etc.?"

I can't think of any more... let's see... Oh ya, some way so that I
never make mistakes. Just joking.

I have to hand it to Papyrus on some things- even from the start, they
realized the value of some form of replay- think of Indy500 the Sim,
even there they did their best to make replays a feature. I miss those
guys.

But the bottom line is GP2 is, for me, EVERYTHING I expected and even
more. How the hell can I have a life and GP2? I frankly am a bigger
Indy fan in "real life" (I like the potential for passing), but when
the sim is this good, you sort of become an F1 fan. CART/PPG should
recognize the value of this sort of thing, pool together a few million
(hell, that's nothing for a racing team, right?), buy the old Papyrus
guys and maybe even get Geoff in on it if he could be game for it...
imagine what we'd get? And who of you wouldn't buy a Cray to run the
thing!?

Think of what NASCAR by Papyrus did for NASCAR around the world.
You've got people in Finland and Australia and Germany wanting to be
meet Dale and Sterling and so forth... it is amazing. I get the
feeling ICR2 never quite got the promo it should have gotten abroad-
sure,hard-core simmers got it, but it should have been at least a
popular as NASCAR abroad because of it's similarity to F1. I guess
that is the issue of Papy going under... oh well. Here's my proposal:
CART should buy it- save it- from Sierra and get it healthy and on
it's feet again. I think seeing a PPG or Toyota sticker on the wall in
your sim is at least as powerful for advertising as seeing it at the
real races... and the kind of advertising these companies do would
fund the old Papy projects many, many times over. Notice how much F1
was supportive this Crammond project ? Damn smart of them. Sort of
surprising they see the value in a game too, considering how arrogant
and uptight FIA is- spit on the track, 10k fine, etc. They've GOT to
ease up. I thought they might fine Villeneuve for passing Schumacher
in Germany; you just never know with those weirdos.

:
:I'd add to your list:
:
:SOME kind of instant replay- even only 10 seconds and from one
:perspective. How many time did you hit <ESC> and try to see who tapped
:you or who punted you in ICR2's little replay window? Usually pretty
:humbling...

Press the SPACEBAR (or P if steering with the keyboard) then "R"!

:
:SOME way to know what my personal best is on any given track. I don't
:think there is any way now, and that is sort of amazing to me. I'd say
:that is what I miss most. Please let me know if there is some way
:other than (I guess) to beat the track records.

Agreed - I like the way ICR2 always stores your personal best, rather
than in GP2 having to remember to save a hotlap.

Ken
--
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hoots about my opinions.          Web:  http://www.ride.demon.co.uk

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again. At least, that's what I have done.

--
Ian Rae, DSP Firmware Engineer,     | Tel No: +44 1793 565159            
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to understand, it took me two days to figure out how to get rid of
steering help, change to another car.

What? A more complete manual? Then Micropose couldn't*** us for
another $30 for a "hint book".

Now, if I may further be enlightened by everyone's expertise, how do I
change the "camera angle"? I know I can switch cars easily enough, but
I want to see a side view of what hit me. Also, any controls for
start/stop/rewind?

Speaking of which, anybody else notice the AI guys are a little over
aggressive on some turns? I am as sure as I can be that more than once
I've had the line, was already in the turn, had everything in my
command  when some dummy has come up, two wheels on the grass, and
slammed me in the side, tossing both of us in to the gravel.  I'm
racing at "Semi-pro" (the middle setting). I can instinctively tell on
some turns when they are going to try it, and have taken to moving
aside- WAY aside- , essentially saying "take me", to minimize the
contact. And I will say that it is  VERY demoralizing to be "chickened
out" by an AI guy you know won't give up! Mostly at Hungary this
happens so far, BTW.

For what it is worth, ICR2 also has ***ly agressive AI too, but
they generall don't try any wrecking manouvers unless they've had at
least an inch of nose ahead of me. Then you better just let them pass
on certain straights (ex.: Long Beach front straight, and Michigan
just before the finish line).

All in all, GP2 is great.