rec.autos.simulators

In this day and age of Patch Mania where everything gets released early,
let the public be the beta testers then fix it with patches, are we to
believe that Grand Prix Legends is bug free?!! I mean the program has
been out for an eternity in software terms and there haven't been any
patches out, save one very minor one for some graphics card. I mean, is
it THAT GOOD that they don't need to patch it? I looked everywhere and
there's no patch for the game.

Frankly I bought Grand Prix Legends when it hit the store shelves and I
haven't found any bugs. I found features that it should have that aren't
there, such as the slider for opponent strength or a manual with a ton of
stuff omitted out of it (Ferrari stuff, dashboard layouts for each car), but
that's pretty much it.

If it really is this good, then Papyrus should get a standing ovation
and a pat on the back for a job well done! It's so refreshing to see
every feature that the game has working properly without the usual need
for a patch to get it up to speed. I just wish all software companies
would take the lead and start creating the software in the same way (like
they used to) leaving the patches for unforseen problems that might occur
instead of using it to finish the program.

Great job!

Nathan

Nathan Wong wrote

It was already announced by a Papyrus rep. that they are actively working on
a patch for Grand Prix Legends.  The information about what is fixed or what
additions to the sim hasn't been posted yet, but watch here in the next few
weeks and you will hopefully see some information about it.  One thing known
is that it will fix some multiplayer problems.

-= Fran?ois Mnard <ymenard/Nas-Frank>
-= NROS Nascar sanctioned Guide http://www.nros.com/
-= SimRacing Online http://www.simracing.com/
-= Official mentally retarded guy of r.a.s.
-= May the Downforce be with you...

"People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don't realise
how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world."

As far as strength goes, there are some INI's by the Hines out on the
net...d/l'ed them but havent tried them yet. There's a billion sites; many
of them have it.

Kirk Lane

<snip>
<snip>

Well, I dont know if it is a bug or a problem in my system but occassionally
(about once in three hours) GPL crashes. It happens when I am driving and
the game just disappears and I am back in the Windows. It really sucks,
yesterday I lost my best lap times from two tracks (Watkins Glen and Monza)
because of this crash, it seems that GPL saves these lap times only when
you exit the game... (A hint to Papyrus...) (well, losing my lap times is
not too bad right now, I am still quite ***in GPL, my best WG time is
1.24 and 1.38 at Monza :-)
--

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That's interesting and thanks for the info. I really haven't had problems
with the multiplayer part of the game. The only problem I could see has
to do with my modem hardware.

Your best times are still a lot better than mine. I think my best at
Monza is still way above yours. I just haven't dedicated myself to the
sim. I know fooling around with the gear ratios and stuff would help me a
lot.

Those of you who follow Slashdot (http://slashdot.org) may have
noticed that Bugnet would not hand out an award for
companies fixing bugs in their software with all that buggy stuff
out there not getting fixed, so maybe we should suggest to them
to hand that award for 1998 to Papyrus. What do you think?

Full Story: http://slashdot.org/articles/99/01/12/1828215.shtml

Regards,

Uwe

PS: If they decide to port to Linux they'd get my "Linux Port of the Year"
award right now ;-)
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I missed the original post to this thread, but what exactly is the
problem?  I've been struck by how bug-free GPL seems to be.  Are there
any universal problems *everyone* seems to be experiencing?  There are
apparently some compatibility problems some seem to be experiencing.  Is

Voodoo2, Sound Blaster) and can't think of anything that doesn't work as
advertised, every time.

I think there are some things that could be improved, or added, with a
patch, but I wouldn't call them bugs.

What'd I miss?

While GPL is not bug-free, it certainly isn't bug-ridden.  One bug I can
think of off-hand has to do with the drop down menu for selecting race
setup choice.  If one has too many setups in the folder for that track,
the drop down menu will extend beyond the bottom of the screen.  It does
not size properly with scroll arrows.  However, the current setup menu
window will work properly.

There are graphic anamolies that need some attention and of course there
are on-line quirks that I do know Papy is working on.  Also, it would
appear that GPL does not like to work properly with many digital
controlling devices.  If I really stopped to think about it, there are
many more "bugs" in GPL.  However, as I said GPL isn't bug-ridden in the
sense that the bugs cause the program to be unusable or un-enjoyable.
For this Papy needs to be applauded, especially when one looks back to
their previous products (barring Indianapolis the Simulation, which was
virtually bug-free).

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

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

I am of the opinion that I suck completely at GPL (but still enjoy it).

during a 9 lap race that I lost completely.  Is that an OK time or are these
people quoted above just not up to speed yet?  I haven't tried to get good
at any of the other tracks yet, anyone have a suggestion for where to try
next? I picked WG because it's near where I live (sorta) and it's in the
USA.

~daxe
"religion is remedial spirituality"

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Papy does more thorough testing than just about any other (entertainment)
software company and it shows in the lack of bugs.  I agree they deserve a
standing ovation considering a comparison with their colleagues.

However, I also think that they may be a little big-headed about their
accomplishments...for example Nascar Racing 1999 has a ridiculously annoying
and prevalent bug with the sound set-up that cannot be too hard to fix.  But
Papy is very, very reluctant to patch their products...even in the face of
mountains of obvious evidence that there is a problem.  Thank goodness they
are so thorough and meticulous in the first place, but sometimes minor
patches are needed...  We're waiting....

Marc.

says...

Well, I probably won't be the first (or last) to tell you this, but DRIVE
AT MONZA FIRST!  WG is a trickier track than it appears, due to the
heavily crowned roads and the elevation changes.  In contrast, Monza is
flat, and only has 4 turns that require any braking.

As for your time, 1:12 in a COV isn't bad, but those Fast guys can
probably turn a 1'09 in the thing.  Dunno for sure though.

COV.  (Sadly, my best is still a 1'32.5 in a Brabham - *not* the sub-1'30
lap I'm shooting for!)

Cheers,

--John Bradley

I've done 1:06.62 at Watkins Glen in Coventry, but I've seen someone
go under 1:06 with it online. Unfortunately I cannot remember who it
was.

Samppa
--

The blinking phenomenon where you car stutters both visually and aurally.
Frequent disconnects when online. The silly warp times (I've done 0:04.53 at
Rouen and 3:00.xx at Monza). Pitboards being issued from all over the track.
People losing laps - going from first to last place. Needs tightening up - an
online patch is called for - looks like we may get one.
Paul