>>Again, as I said, there's no reason a braking indicator couldn't be
>>included in GPL as an aid for on-line racing. It's not 100% accurate,
>>but if you think you can achieve that sitting in a desk chair watching
>>a monitor, then more power to you.
>You're missing the point!
>First of all, calm down and breath in for a moment.
>You're saying that since these aids, such as ABS brakes, were included
>in Viper Racing, there is no reason why GPL couldn't have a braking
>indicator as an aid too.
>What I am saying is that it is OK for games like SCGT and Viper Racing
>to not be _entirely_ realistic with things like these, as they both
>share arcade and simulator qualities. GPL however is all about pure
>simulation of the real thing, without diddly squat of an arcade feel,
>and for this, brake lights should _not_ be included, or built in, as
>this would take away from the authenticity.
>>GPL itself is about simulating racing in a very pure period, just as
>>flight sims like Red Baron simulate air combat in a very pure period.
>>When it comes to on-line racing with GPL agains other human beings,
>>though, we're talking about REAL-LIFE competition in a simulated
>>environment across the Internet, usually via modem. In the era
>>simulated by GPL, the Internet and modems DIDN'T EXIST -- so is the
>>inclusion of Internet play via modem unrealistic for GPL, and should
>>it be deleted?
>Of course not! That's like saying that since computers like the ones
>we have today weren't around in the 60's, we shouldn't own GPL at all!
>>My point here is that you can take the "realism" and "authenticity"
>>arguments too far
>I don't. I grave realism from a computer!
>>and I think using the "realism" and "authenticity"
>>arguments in the debate about whether brake indicators would be
>>helpful for on-line racing is, well, going too far.
>Actually, if you'd care to look over past messages, I never said that
>brake lights wouldn't be helpful for on-line racing. It's a fact that
>they would. What I said was that these brake lights would take away
>the realism, and the enjoyment which most GPLers enjoy. Especially the
>good ones among us. :-)
Regarding the "realism" in GPL, consider this:
In 1972, my father had his right eye removed due to cancer. He
recovered fully, but he found that his lack of depth perception was a
real hindrance. He found that simple things like driving nails,
driving screws, and even driving a car were suddenly things that he
could no longer do well because with only one eye and no real 3-D
depth perception, he just couldn't properly judge distances. Try it
sometime -- cover one eye and try to do any of these things, and
you'll probably find that it's at least a little harder to work in a
2-D environment than it is with full 3-D vision and proper depth
perception.
THIS is what you're dealing with in a simulation that only gives you
2-D images on a video monitor. So every time you properly judge
closing distance in GPL, pat yourself on the back and congratulate
yourself, because you'll probably do just fine if you're ever left
with only one eye. As for realism, though, GPL falls far short in the
visual category, regardless of how gorgeous and "realistic" the cars
and scenery look.
GPL models a full 3-D environment, but it's presented to us in a 2-D
manner (i.e., a two-dimensional video display), and there's nothing
you can do on a standard monitor (short of a 3-D device like the
Eyescream glasses or such) to make it any more realistic. Which means
that in the realm of GPL, we're all effectively one-eyed pirates.
Handicapped, if you will, much as my father was all those many years
ago. So, given that, it would be nice if Papy had offered those of us
who don't do so well with only one eye the option of having some type
of braking indicator for the cars in front of us, to better help us
judge the distance in GPL's 2-D environment.
Maybe my father could have adapted with a little more practice, but
he realized that he was not as safe as he should be, and after trying
several times to drive after losing his eye, he quit driving for the
remainder of his years. Without proper 3-D depth perception, he found
that even brake lights weren't enough to make him feel safe behind the
wheel. Thank God that we're only risking simulated sheetmetal and
skin in GPL's 2-D environment, because there, we don't even have brake
lights. My guess is that Graham Hill would have retired from racing
if he had ever been unfortunate enough to lose an eye, or to have his
3-D depth perception impaired in any way. And yet, for the majority
of us, apparently, GPL's 2-D environment represents the ultimate in
"realism," and we don't want any help at all, thank you very much.
Brake lights? Bah! We're real men (and women)!
Go figure.
Sims like GPL run into real problems as they approach ultra-realism on
some points, mainly because no matter how "real" things are in the
simulated environment, the user is woefully isolated from what's
"really" happening in the sim. We have two means of receiving
feedback from GPL currently: Aurally (and thankfully, the sound in
GPL is stereophonic, just as in real life), and visually (which, as
I've pointed out, is only 2-D, definitely NOT as it is in real life
for most of us).
As a simulation gets more realistic, the senses that CAN'T come into
play become more critical, yet there's usually NO way at all to convey
most of those sensations to the person at the controls. Therefore,
it's even MORE critical to find ways to utilize the EXISTING feedback
methods (SIGHT and SOUND) to the fullest. GPL uses sound in a good
manner to convey what's happing to the left, right, and also ahead and
behind to some degree, but there's nothing at all that can be done
about the 2-D vision thing. This is why "aids" like braking
indicators are almost a necessity -- you're isolated enough from the
"real" action in GPL as it is, and given the level of realism that is
incorporated into GPL's physics model, braking indicators would be
more of a user interface enhancement than a "cheat" or an affront to
game's overall realism.
On the other hand, there are those people who enjoy the concept of
cutting off their noses to spite their face. Thankfully for the vast
majority of GPL users, this is all a moot point, because GPL does not
include any braking indicators, and I doubt that anything like this
will ever be added, and the sim's inherent "purity" and "realism" will
be retained, intact -- in its full 2-D glory -- forever. Amen.
--- JB
