rec.autos.simulators

GT3 Grand Valley Speedway has been released as a full raceable track
with AI. As some of you might already know this track was earlier
released for the one-lap Rally competition. But now Stuart "Madcowie"
has done a real release of this track well known to all fans of Gran
Turismo on the Playstation. A really fun to drive track in a modern
style. Screenshots, track maps, links to download and so on at the
track database.

--------

The Atlas Oval has been released by the Atlas Racing League. This
track is made by Mark Beckman who said "Its an unfinished beta Oval
which I made the other Sunday cause it was raining all day." Well,
Mark is grossly underplaying his track which is a very nice trioval
well worth the download! :-)

--------

Final Encounter - Rally Stage 10. This amazing track is still only
released as a one-lap track for participants in Madcowies Rally
competition. Being a faster and - in some places - whackier version of
the mighty Ring it's a true drivers track. Even though it's not
publicly released, it's well worth taking a peek at the screenshots
and map at the track database. And then you can only pray Stuart will
make it available as a raceable track too :-)

--------

Last couple of days I've added a big bunch of screenshots for many
tracks like:
- Lake Garnett (Kansas)
- Liege
- Legion
- Minskaja
- Grand Valley GT3
and a bunch more I can't recall just know :-)

--------

And keep rating all the tracks!! So far we have almost 6000 ratings in
the database, all helping newcomers to decide what tracks they should
begin with downloading :-)  BIG BIG thanks to everyone submitting
ratings!!!  (BTW: submitting ratings is way easier now, you have a
"submit rating" button next to each track)

--------

Finally if you've missed it. A small utility that you can run on your
PC. It checks for installed tracks on your harddisk and then takes you
to the Track Database where you automatically get a 100% correct
season.ini file. It's just a simple little batch script available for
download on the front page at the database. Be sure to read the info
before you use it :-)

--------

Cheers!

/Magnus Thom

- - - - GPL online Track Database - - - http://www.racesimcentral.net/ - - - -

PS:
My ISP went into a coma and the internet link went down all weekend
last week :( Eventually everything came back up again and has been
fine since then. Sorry for that...

On the assumption that Madcowie's reading:

Nice track, excellent effort!  IMHO it seems that a few corners which
should be kinks are more like sweepers - i.e. less sharp, but longer
- and the graphics get a bit heavy in places, notably on exit of the
first right-hander; but that said, it definitely captures the spirit
of the original (the final tunnel has that "tuck the nose in and bury
the throttle if you dare" feel to it, and braking for the first corner
is a sod as ever!) and I *love* the added banking.  The AI seems to
be on a par with the Papy tracks, which is to say they blow me into
the weeds... oh yes, and there was this nutter in a white car who
kept out-braking me into corners and then falling off! :-)

How about... ooh... Trial Mountain next?  What about Special Stage 11?
That chicane could be a right b*gg*r in a GPL car!

Nice one!
Jonny

Just one other thing: I have a personal preference for walls over
'Soddingprivet Hedgenschtop'-style sticky barriers...