Developers / Game developers and publishers

GT Interactive

discussed in 61 posts, 1997-2000 · overall tone mixed

Driver 1999

Posts per month

How the mood changed

Starts at zero. Every post that spoke well of them moves the line up, every critical post moves it down (weighted −2 to +2).

Press releases

Date	Release
1998-03-02	Trans-Am's "Glory Days" To Be Captured In New Driving Simulator From GT Interactive
1999-09-24	First-ever dirt track car racing game comes to the PC with GT Interactive's Dirt Track Racing (excerpt)

Key threads

NASCAR Racing 3 track list includes Indianapolis 1999-09-03 · 71 posts
Fans celebrated that Papyrus's NASCAR Racing 3 track list included the Indianapolis Motor Speedway among 28 Winston Cup and Busch tracks. Some confused it with Indianapolis Raceway Park, questioned GT Interactive's exclusive Indy licence, and noted Pocono was missing again. Posters looked forward to converting tracks such as Riverside from NASCAR Legends to other Papyrus sims, and noted that online play was quoted at 20 or more cars.
GT Interactive signs Indy 500 and IRL game deal 1999-03-03 · 22 posts
A poster reported GT Interactive's long-term global publishing agreement with IMS Properties for the Indianapolis 500 and IRL. Some doubted there was a market for an IRL sim, prompting a defensive response from an IRL supporter, and the thread became a largely civil debate about the CART/IRL split and falling attendance.
Hasbro Interactive acquires Europress 1999-08-14 · 25 posts
ymenard posted news that Hasbro Interactive had acquired Europress, adding its rally titles to a portfolio that already included GP3 and GP500. Some hoped this would bring European sims to North America, while others wanted to see quality rather than quantity and doubted Hasbro could match GPL. Posters also debated whether NASCAR Racing 3 was more than a facelift of N2.
Proposal for a moderated group for sim developers 1998-06-11 · 21 posts
After Mark Rich was flamed, Harald van Santen suggested a space where developers could post without being attacked. Papyrus's Mike Lescault said a moderated group would make developers more willing to post because his words were often twisted. Todd Heckel of Engineering Animation introduced himself as working on TransAm Racing '68-'72, while some argued developers should simply face criticism.
GT Interactive's Indy licence and fears of simplified NASCAR 3 1999-03-02 · 38 posts
News that GT Interactive had obtained exclusive Indy 500 and IRL rights meant NASCAR Racing 3 could not include Indianapolis. The thread became a debate over whether Sierra would make Papyrus simplify the NASCAR 3 physics after GPL's weak sales; most wanted optional difficulty levels rather than a simplified physics model, and oval and road racers argued over whether setup or driving skill matters more.
GPL's INI-file tweaking and missing AI slider 1999-06-12 · 28 posts
Joe McGinn complained that changing basics like AI strength in GPL requires editing INI files and argued a slider would have greatly boosted sales. Others doubted it would double sales but agreed lower-class seasons and easier options would have won better reviews, and pointed to an AI tweaker utility. The discussion moved to Trans Am Racing's cancellation and how popular Trans Am is in the US, with Bob Thurman reporting that GT had pulled the plug after 18 months.
Is 1999 a poor year for racing sims? 1999-06-17 · 21 posts
Kai Fuller argued that GPL's weak sales had led publishers to back away from realistic sims, making 1999 disappointing. David G Fisher countered that Rally Championship, GP3, MGPRS3 and new Papyrus NASCAR titles were coming and that GPL sold poorly mainly because of its 1967 setting. Yves Menard dismissed some of those titles as old engines or vaporware, Hena Hakkinen reported a rumour that GP3 had slipped to 2000, and Fisher and Menard argued over what counts as vaporware.
Was Grand Prix Legends a commercial failure? 1999-08-13 · 43 posts
A poster asked whether GPL had sold poorly. Posters cited a figure of roughly 36,000-40,000 copies and blamed the steep difficulty, high hardware demands, the obscure 1967 era, a weak first demo and limited advertising, though others recalled magazine ads. Most agreed it fell short commercially despite being regarded as the best sim available.
Driver demo compared with Midtown Madness 1999-09-03 · 29 posts
A poster said the official PC demo of Driver was disappointing, with robotic pedestrians and building pop-up. Joe McGinn and others praised its arcade driving model and force feedback as better than Midtown Madness, while critics preferred Midtown Madness's detail. Tips covered the hidden options screen and draw distance settings.