rec.autos.simulators

First thing to realise about GPL is it's an acquired skill, not "just
another driving game". But like anything really rewarding in life --
playing an instrument, learning how to please a woman (ie do the dishes
properly), taking exams, etc -- the reward is proportional to the effort
you put in. The learning isn't always enjoyable, but the sense of
satisfaction at the end of it is -- for me -- absolutely amazing!

I've just come offline after a great race at the Nurburgring. Not great
because I had a close race with anyone, great because in trying to catch
the leader I knocked nearly 4s off my personal best, taking me to 8:15.55
from 8:20.03... that's after a whole week of failing to get under 8:20 in
offline practice.

It's hard to put the GPL experience into words though. You've only got to
do a quick deja search to find many people who've only just discovered GPL
after years of being "scared off", so you don't have to believe us GPL
bores. Buy it, the worst that can happen is you hate it and spend all your
time driving GP3... which I'm sure we'll all buy anyway.

Andrew McP

What's the min spec that will run GPL with spectacular result?  FYI, I use
Celeron 266 w/ 64Mb RAM and ATI Rage Pro 2Mb graphics card.

demo came out. If your motherboard has a 75, 83 or 100MHz bus, you ought
to try overclocking that processor. That'd give you a great start running
GPL. The vid card may be a real problem though :-( Not even sure whether
it'll run on 2Mb?

and the V3 it ran just as well at 1024x768, though I had the detail slider
a bit further to the left (which makes a lot of difference).

Andrew McP

GPL can be nothing but frustration if you are not prepared to learn.  If you
simply want to dive straight in, without taking the time (and having the
patience) to learn the ropes, then it is not for you.

You can lessen the trauma by using one of the two Training
levels....lower-powered cars, in other words.

--
Regards,
Bruce Kennewell,
Canberra, Australia.
---------------------------

It's the time invested to gain the skill required :)

How many games can you really get good at during the same timeframe? -grin-

-GE

<snip>

Depends what you mean by "spectacular". If you mean to run it at
1600x1200 with every single detail on, and cars with 3D wheels (an
unofficial addon from the GPLEA that's great to look at, but a
*massive* hit on the framerate [8-10 fps!]), then a vastly expensive
super-system (Athlon 1Ghz or some such).

On the other hand, since graphics aren't GPL's most important point
(this isn't really an "eye-candy" game), then you can have a great time
with much less. I have a Celeron 400 (not overclocked) with 64 megs and
a Voodoo 3, and the game runs fine at 800x600 with most of the options
turned on.

As for your system: the CPU is adequate for hotlapping, but probably
not for racing (it's *so* much easier if you can get a steady 36fps,
which is the maximum the game allows). The RAM is fine - GPL only
really needs 32 megs, so the rest can be used for an extended replay
buffer. The main problem is the graphics card. I doubt GPL will run at
all on a card with less than 4 megs of RAM, so you'll need to upgrade
that. You don't need a brand new V5 or GeForce, though - a V3 will give
very noticeable results.
--
David. (GPLRank handicap: +2.68)
"After all, a mere thousand yards - such a harmless little knoll,
really."
(Raymond Mays on Shelsley Walsh)

My advice is buy both and spend the time to get good at both, you will not
regret it.....honest ;)

Ash

| I've heard that GPL is very difficult to play and getting used to.  Is it
still
| an outstanding sim or just pure frustration if I don't have the patience?
| Shall I put my money on the forthcoming GP3?  Which sim is closer to
driving
| the real thing?

When you finish a race - fantastic
When you lead a race
When you get your name in the "racing news"
Your first win
You are going to love it.

Ps. You steer with the throttle so get some decent pedals !

Have fun , Bogster

Kirk Lane

--
l8er
ronny

Your mouse has moved. Windows must be restarted for the change
to take effect. Reboot now?
          |\      _,,,---,,_        I want to die like my Grandfather,
   ZZZzz /,`.-'`'    -.  ;-;;,_              in his sleep.
        |,4-  ) )-,_. ,\ (  `'-'     Not like the people in his car,
       '---''(_/--'  `-'\_)            screaming their heads off!