rec.autos.simulators

So, I set up a driver file, tweaked the controls for my creaky old
Gravis Pro 'stick and apprehensively unselected every possible graphic
detail; hop into a novice trainer Brabham and promptly drive into the
nearest wall admiring the South Park style scenery and the 6.5 fps
frame rate. :)

Well, that's hardly surprising: what more could I expect from a
180mhz Pentium pro with 256k L2 and an archaic 2 megger Matrox card
that doesn't even properly support 3D? .)

Now, I would love to get some powerup to get the sim running because
I sense I am really going to dig this game, so: is there any hope of
getting a decent frame rate without major cpu upgrade? Would a half-decent
3D card suffice (I'll be having to buy one anyway soon)? Is the full
version of the game faster?

+Cinquo

Vintook
P.S. Yes the game is that good!

 I was in almost the exact same situation as you.

 My current system:

  PPro 180 overclocked to 200
  64Megs RAM
  Diamond Stealth II S220 video card

 Before I installed the Diamond card, I had a Matrox Millenium video
card and experienced the same horrible frame rates as you, with all
detail turned off.

 Now, in training mode with all the graphics options on and the detail
bias set midway I get 30-36fps. In a race against 5 opponents I get
around 25 or so frames a second at the start of the race and then it
picks back up as the field spreads out.

 So, in short having a 3D card and being able to run GPL in Rendition
or Glide mode will definitely help you.

 Also, as for the demo...if you're running Win98, make sure you are
using the 1.0 version of the demo. An earlier version had problems
with Win98 as I learned from experience, the older demo ran at a crawl
under the same system as above.

 So, go for it. Get yourself a decent 3D card and a copy of GPL. It's
definitely worth it. You'll then see what you've been missing and
wonder how you did without it. :)

 Hope this helps.

  Tony.

You really need to upgrade to get the best out of this sim. You might try a
Voodoo 2 or old rendition card (found pretty cheap these days) and as a
Guess, it will probably give you a maximum of around 22-25 frames when
running solo with some detail off. It will average somewhat lower than this
figure.

As to hardware upgrades, you really need to be looking to at least double
your CPU horsepower. When GPL came out the standard rig as used by most was
a celeron 300A overclocked to 450, V2 card and 64 Meg Ram. Most people have
a far higher spec machine now. With your 180, don't bother to look beyond a
V2 card for 3d. Your machine simply wouldn't justify it.

In the mean-time, there are some things you can do to grab a few frames
back.
1. Set mirrors to cars only. Mirrors are a big frame drain.
2. Set detail slider all the way to the left.
3 Get rid of all effects like smoke/ fire etc.
4 in your GPL/app.ini file, set sounds quality =0. This sets sound to mono
and requires far less processing power.

Hope this helps a little. Don't expect miracles.

MS

Thanks,
Alex

Is an AGP slot (which I of course don't have) a big issue, if I were to
try just getting a 3D card as a first aid kit? Do the Voodoo2/3 cards
that I've been suggested require one?

BTW, I'm actually getting 9fps now with track textures and some of the
effects on, which already seems to be producing sufficient visual
feedback to keep the trainer on the track. I have to say, driving that thing
is sheer darn FUN even though I haven't even touched the intermed trainers
yet. The physical model is miles beyond anything I've experienced before.
(but I know you all knew that already)

+Cinquo

STOP NOW!!!!
THIS PROGRAM MAY DAMAGE YOUR FINANCIAL HEALTH
UNINSTALL IMMEDIATELY.
FDISK.
REFORMAT C:
A:\WIN98\SETUP

You know it makes sense...
Tony Whitley (c. 700 and still upgrading)