rec.autos.simulators

% In GPL I guess it would be pretty difficult to get minor toe-in damage
% at the speeds people generally go off the road. From what I see of
% online races the typical accident is a triple lutz end over end barrel
% roll with a mid air pike, and no matter how you dice it that is race
% over in any formula. In defence of GPL's current damage model I should
% say that I had an online race last night at Zandvoort, chasing Matt
% Rowe for first place. Into Panorama I realised I was going in too hot,
% and _just_ failed to keep the car on the road. I gently bumped the
% fence, kept the car straight and rolled back onto the road without
% losing too much. After that the car was a pig, locking up the loaded
% LF very easily and picking up wheelspin out of every corner, so I had
% to feel my way back around the track and find out what I could and
% couldn't do. In that case the damage seemed to work pretty well.

Speaking of Zandy, I don't recall if it was with Pro or Advanced damage,
but during an on-line race, I slid off course while attempting to allow
a faster car by and rolled backwards up one of the numerous hills.  I
didn't hit anything, but let me tell you, it bent my rear suspension and
the car was then a beast to drive while I slowly and carefully finished
my 2 laps to the finish.  Damage is there and maybe it's just too subtle
for some user's taste.  I've suffered a flat tire from just brushing the
rear of another car at the start of a race.  

--
**************************** Michael E. Carver *************************
     Upside out, or inside down...False alarm the only game in town.

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On Fri, 11 Dec 1998 19:48:49 GMT, "Michael E. Carver"

Online is a whole new ball game. Thanks to warping it's difficult for
the sim to know how fast you were really going when contact was made.
For that reason a 10mph tap can be transformed into a 10,000mph
disaster if a little warp pops it's head round the door.

Cheers!
John

The visual side of damage can be done - look at Viper Racing, TOCA and CMR,
which have crumpled bodies, shattered windscreens, bits lost, misaligned wheels
etc. I'm not that bothered except for being able to see broken suspension and
blown tyres.
Paul

Absolutely! Online is the #1 priority for development. I suspect that much of
this development will need to be focused around the infrastructure (cables,
modems etc) but I think there is still room for programmatic work in this
area. Overtaking online in GPL is only possible if you're much faster than
your opponent. You can't sit in his/her slipstream and then dive out because
he/she always jitters about so much that you'll probably get hit. It seems
the only strategy is to sit just off someone's tail and pressurise them into
making a mistake.
Paul

%   Could someone tell me how to find out what damage the car has taken.I blow
% my motor and I know it because the dam thing explodes but in one of the Papy
% Cup races,Doug Arnao dnf due to a blown camshaft.How do they know this?? Dan

If you press ESCape during a race and retire, the "results" page should
indicate why you needed to "retire".  Sometimes if the damage was caused
to the engine or suspension during an accident, "accident" will be
listed.  However, if you abused the engine or bent the suspension or
flattened a tire, these things will be listed.

--
**************************** Michael E. Carver *************************
     Upside out, or inside down...False alarm the only game in town.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=<[ /./.  [-  < ]>=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=