rec.autos.simulators

That's strange - I found Viper a LOT easier to control than GPL...and I had GPL
for longer...

Eldred
--
Tiger Stadium R.I.P. 1912-1999
Own Grand Prix Legends?  Goto  http://www.racesimcentral.net/

Never argue with an idiot.  He brings you down to his level, then beats you
with experience...
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You got to 1:29 in less than 20 laps?!?  I haven't gotten to 1:29 in more than
a YEAR...and I've had *plenty* of crashes and spins.  I can't figure out how
you're doing it!  If I push to go faster, brake later, or even try a diferent
line sometimes, I'm in the weeds(or wall).  Are you just THAT MUCH better than
me?  That's depressing...

You also mentioned others are either not able to adapt, or have their hardware
setup wrong.  Assuming that I *can* adapt(or have been able to before), how
should my hardware be setup?  I have an AMD k6-2 350(128MB) with a voodoo3 and
15" monitor(win95).  I can usually get over 30fps.  I'm using a TSW2mod wheel
and pedal set.  My PB at Monza is only 1:30.50 after about 14(?) months.
Any suggestions? (and be NICE<g>)
Eldred

--
Tiger Stadium R.I.P. 1912-1999
Own Grand Prix Legends?  Goto  http://gpl.gamestats.com/vroc

Never argue with an idiot.  He brings you down to his level, then beats you
with experience...
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Hey I got this tip for you. Instead of following tips like heel to toe
braking, always brake in a straight line and stuff like that. Just do
whatever you feel comfortable with. try turn in little early or later to see
what you can do. Just make sure you stay on the track, you will notice a big
difference.

I am no expert because I only have the demo and 15fps (video card comes in
sunday, GPL next Tuesday or so) But I got down to 1:06 at the Glen just by
doing a lot of practicing. If I can do it, you can do it too

I've only had GPL for a couple weeks now and a Voodoo board for two
days.  I've been concentrating on Monza and have gotten down to a 1:36
in Alison's Ferrari setup.

As a former race driver (came to grips with the concept of my own
mortality years back... <g>) I started out approaching the driving as
I would in a real race car.  That was fairly okay and got me into the
mid 40's in the Lotus at Monza.  (was wierd to me, but the GP car was
much easier to drive than the trainers)

I had a small epiphany yesterday when, for no particular reason, I
went into the Replay section off the main screen and discovered there
were a sample videos from each track! (a couple by da man himself)
Watching the one from Monza was quite illuminating.  I'm more familiar
with a more genteel approach to car control at speed, but, apparently,
you are supposed to fight these hairy-chested bastards tooth and nail
to get a good lap in.  Kick it sideways into Curva Gande at 160+ and
then gather it back in as many times as necessary until you're through
the corner.

Smooth, straight braking and high corner exit speeds are the key to
fast laps.  Apparently there are no style points awarded for what you
do between those two points in a corner. <g>

Just my impression so far.  Now to rearrange my computer station to
afford more ergonomically correct seating and control positions!

Regards,
Brett C. Cammack
That's Racing! Motorsports
Pompano Beach, FL

Talk about depressing............. a teammate of mine just got GPL not
too long ago.  At the time, I still hadn't broken the 1:30 barrier
(1:30.2) after 12+ months.  In the span of approx. two weeks, he had his
Monza lap times into the low 1:28's!!  One of the most jaw-dropping
things I've ever witnessed.  He's what got me under 1:30.  Using replays
with GPL Track Computer & GPL Spy Girl, I could see what areas I most
needed attention at and work on them directly one at a time.  You may
also try, at least temporarily, another car instead of the Ferrari.
Either the Eagle or the Lotus, depending on driving style, should
provide you with improved lap times as well.  More FPS might help you as
well, but if you're already turning graphics options down presently then
I wouldn't go further.  Is there an upgrade in your future?  Your
Voodoo3 and TSW are definitely up to the task.  Good Luck!!

--
//Chuck Kandler  #70
//ChuckK on Won.net & WinVROC
//K&S Racing
http://www.fortunecity.com/silverstone/thepits/195
//The box said "Windows 0x5h or better", so I installed LINUX!

Let me know your times at WG with the full program.  If you're running 1:06
with only 15fps in the demo, and I'm only running 1:07.61 with 36fps in the
full game...?
Something's wrong here.  I'd like a closer comparison.

Eldred
--
Tiger Stadium R.I.P. 1912-1999
Own Grand Prix Legends?  Goto  http://gpl.gamestats.com/vroc

Never argue with an idiot.  He brings you down to his level, then beats you
with experience...
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John,

     There are many of us that have these hopes for WSC and the Trans-Am
sim. But if only one raises the current gpl bench mark, I'll be pleasantly
surprised.

Joel Willstein

Eldred,

     I've read all your posts about the majical 1:29 lap at Monza and you
struggle to get there. Hope you're running a Lotus or Eagle.

     I've been driving a Ferrari and a Brabham for the last 6 months, and
rarely turn a 1:29 at Monza online.  Tons and tons of very low 1:30s.  Then
just for the sake of it, I used my basic Monza setup and applied it to both
the Lotus and the Eagle. I was turning 1:29s from the 2nd lap on in training
mode,even turned a few 1:28s in each car. Monza is easy for fast laps.  But
I'm still faster at Zandvoort,Mosport,Kyalami, & Rouen in the Ferrari.

     For me GPL online racing isn't about driving the fastest cars, it's
about driving the car of my choice for that night to the best of my ability
in a clean professional manner. I run in some league/clubs where 1:24s at
the Glen and 1:26-7s are the norm for the front of the grid. I'm a mid
packer at best. But I'm usually there at the end of the race. I'm invited to
join simply because of my style and reputation, not my speed. There are
plenty of really fast guys out there that will never get into these leagues
simply because of their diving style.

     Joel Willstein

Eldred,

I meant to imply that Viper was on the GPL end of the spectrum -- it IS
a lot easier to control than GPL, but more difficult (in full sim mode)
than most others aside from GPL.

FWIW, having been away from GPL for a while, and now getting back into
it, I am TRULY amazed at how wonderful this game is, and how easy it is
to get back into.  IMO, the ONLY major problem with GPL -- and the ONLY
thing that kept it from being a major success -- is that it was a
SIMULATION with no GAME mode, and, hence, it was unaccessible to those
who wanted something slightly less than a full-blown simulation.  Viper
Racing was a great simulation that provided an "arcade" version for
those less-serious drivers, and the fact that it fared better than GPL
in terms of sales could be partially attributed to that, I think.

In this respect, I still think that there IS a happy medium to be met,
and someday, some developer is going to give us a game that can be as
fun as NFS for people who like that kind of game, and as demanding as
GPL for those who want ultimate realism.  DTR kind of hits this mark,
but if you don't like dirt racing on ovals, then DTR may be too
specialized for you to enjoy.  Still, Ratbag has showed us that it can
be done, potentially.

That said, I believe that if hardware upgrades (primarily video cards)
don't render GPL's limited suite of graphics compatibility obsolete, I
probably WILL still be playing around with it still in 2002 and maybe
beyond.  The graphics issue is a tough one, though, because the
Rendition/Voodoo support may become a problem over time -- I no longer
play ICR2 because I no longer have a Rendition card installed . . .
quite a shame, too.

Long live GPL!

-- JB

Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.

I started in the Eagle, but switched to the Ferrari after Alison posted her
settings.  I haven't gone back to the Eagle enough to 're-learn' it.(yet)  I'm
running Coopers in a league, and that's very interesting...

Oh, I'm *there* at the end.  I may be a couple of laps down, but I finish every
race I start(barring a disco).  And, I don't *think* I get in the way too much.
 I usually finish last of all the non-quitting drivers.<g>

Eldred
--
Tiger Stadium R.I.P. 1912-1999
Own Grand Prix Legends?  Goto  http://gpl.gamestats.com/vroc

Never argue with an idiot.  He brings you down to his level, then beats you
with experience...
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Oh, ok.  Point taken.

I showed GPL to a couple of friends.  They had too many problems keeping the
car on the track.  And since their systems weren't strong enough to run it,
they lacked the seat time to get GOOD at it.  So, I could never race them on my
LAN... :(

Eldred
--
Tiger Stadium R.I.P. 1912-1999
Own Grand Prix Legends?  Goto  http://gpl.gamestats.com/vroc

Never argue with an idiot.  He brings you down to his level, then beats you
with experience...
Remove SPAM-OFF to reply.