making GPL too realistic of a sim. Well excuse me, but isn't the idea of
making a racing simulation is to simulate real racing, and the true-life
physics?? He says and I quote:
"Grand Prix Legends is the lesser sinner because its failings are mostly of
omission. Developed by Papyrus, the long-standing developer of
ultra-realistic racing sims, Grand Prix Legends is everything a true
*** racing fan should expect. The physics are modeled in exacting and
impressive detail. No one, not even an experienced racing simmer or
(especially) an actual race car driver, could drive this game right away.
It takes hours and hours of pratice to learn these complex models. Racing
fans lap this up, nonfans admire the attention to detail.
But Papyrus didn't bother to put in any effective difficulty or realism
toggles to make this game approachable by the casual racing fan. Real-world
physics in a game are admirable. Mandatory real-world physics in a game are
stupid.
And Grand Prix Legends is 'overmodeled.' This comment prompts contemptuous
responses from fans demanding to know how physics can be 'overmodeled.'
Here's how:It's a game! It's a two-dimensional re-creation of an activity
that occurs in three dimensions. In this game, you call upon precisley one
of your senses (sight) with a tiny bit of help from another (hearing).
In real driving, feel is essential. The feel of the wheel in your hands and
pedals under your feet. The feel of the road under your tires. The feel of
the car at that precise moment when the wheels lose traction and being to
skid. Driving, more than flying, is a matter of feel, and that sensation is
utterly closed off to you on the PC. Ergo, you don't have the sensory
information needed to cope with this physics model. Ergo, the game becomes
even more of a challenge than driving real cars. Match that with Papyrus's
laughable refusal to even attempt force feedback support (they say no force
feedback device can accuratley re-create the feel of driving these cars) and
you have a sim that's a realistic model of an activity, but not a realistic
re-creation of an activity."
Ok now, this is ridiculous. Let's start at the beginning. First, who could
drive this game right away? Who would want to? If anyone could just drive
this game right away like it was second nature would become discusted
because it would be too easy and have no competition. Second, why would you
want toggles to make the game easier? For one thing, there is something
like that but not in a race mode, it's called the trainer cars. Also,
there's braking, and shifting help. Third, a simulation is a re-creation of
a real-life occurance, in this case, '67 F1 GP racing. It was meant to be
very real and it is! Nothing can be "overmodeled", but it can be
"undermodeled". And last but not least, force feedback is in its infancy,
the only thing it can do right now for racing sims is vibrate and tighten.
Now, that may seem enough but it isnt. It will only vibrate slighty, and
not ***ly, which some people might not approve of, but PAPY was right
when not putting FFB in GPL, it would probably mostly be turned off by most
people anyhow, because it wouldn't have the same level of "greatness" as the
rest of GPL has.
What it seems we have here is someone who couldn't do good in GPL, got mad,
and complained about racing _sims_ being _too realistic_ for him. So he
flamed PAPY and their newest and greatest game so far, GPL. Just an
afterthought. :-)
For anyone who would like to talk to this guy, can e-mail him at:
Adam Zerlin