rec.autos.simulators

Hi folks,

Reloaded F1-2001 on XP and getting a strange warping affect, esp. noticeable
when turning into corners with other car(s) close in front.  It's like
everything pauses for a couple of tenths and then leaps forward - really bad
on turn 6 at Melbourne, happens two or three times in a row.    It's almost
like it's pausing to load the next bit of track, but seems OK on the
straights. Ctrl-F steady at ~60 FPS min and doesn't drop when the above
happens.

Using latest F1-2001 patch, 1600x1200x32 (tried 16), P4-2000, GF3 Ti500, XP
Pro, 21.83 drivers, LWFF.  Tried fiddling with settings; improves if I drop
detail but should I have to?  Fine otherwise.

TIA

I have an almost completely different configuration to yours, but have
lately noticed exactly the same problem.  I first noticed it when
running the FIA GT mod.  I changed graphics drivers a couple of times,
but it did not go away.  I then went back and paid a little more careful
attention when driving F1 2001, and sure enough it has the same problem,
it's just not quite as noticeable.  What I haven't tried yet, and
probably won't have time to today, is to use FRAPS instead of Ctrl-F to
check the frame rates.  I have a feeling the ctrl-F feature is showing
us the average over a large number of frames, and therefore isn't going
to reflect a short drop in frame rate.  But it also seems like this
might actually be some kind of wierdness in the physics engine.  For
example it normally happens in corners, and it seems like it is more
likely to happen if I am on the kerbs.

My configuration is latest F1 2001 patch, 1024x768x32 (also tried 16),
Celeron running at 1 ghz, Radeon 32 meg DDR, Win98, LWFFGP.

Nigel -

Are you using the F1 2001 Telemetry add-on?  I just found out that this
is causing a lot of the pauses that I was experiencing.  Rather than
uninstall it, I just went into my player file and commented out the
lines that activated it.  That way I can easily re-enable it when I want
to use it.  This got rid of most of the pausing, although I still get
some pauses when going around corners that bring a new area of the track
into view.  When I get a chance I think I am going to go back to 16 bit
color, I think that might get rid of the pauses on corners (by freeing
up some more graphics memory).

Regards,
Haqsau

Hi Haqsau,

No, I'm not using the telemetry add-on, but thanks for your advice.

 I'm encouraged, in some ways, that the problem is the same as yours -
pausing on corners - as I suspect it's a graphics engine issue and not
config.  I'm now dropping the detail and it seems to be better, although I'm
not too happy to have to do so on a P4-2k / GF3 Ti500 combo.

Cheers,

Nigel

I went back to 16 bit graphics and saw no improvement in the pausing at
corners.  The irritating thing is that I know this was not happening
when I first installed it, nor immediately after the patch.  After going
through several video drivers, I don't think it's the drivers either.
The only other thing that I have done lately (that I can recall) is
install DX8.1.  I wonder if that is causing it?  XP comes with DX8.1
doesn't it?  I sure hope that's not it, because I have heard it is not
easy to go back to an earlier DX version, and with XP I don't think you
can.

Regards,
Hal

Mine has started pausing occasionally in the corners as well, and I haven't
changed anything on my system.

I am running win XP also.

Don Burnette

Yes, Windows XP comes with DirectX 8.1 already installed, and no other
"enhancement" should be added.  Try cranking down your sound card hardware
acceleration a couple notches to the left.  Amazing as it sounds (oops!),
the interplay between the sound and graphics cards are pretty close.
--
Chris H.

                             ^^
  I won't say a word...NOT ONE Word.  NosirreeyouBob.  I'm not gonna get
involved in this
:)  lol
dave henrie

LOL, good you know better :).

Don Burnette