Flame wars

376 long threads that turned hostile. Read at your own risk.

• Track editor demand for IndyCar 2 sparks flame war 1995-05-02 · 41 posts
  Bryon La demanded local yellows and a track editor in the next IndyCar Racing, citing Stunts, and suggested a boycott if they were missing. Ralf Southard and others argued that Papyrus tracks, with embedded AI and detailed scenery, were far too complex for a Stunts-style editor, while some supporters said a sophisticated editor would add value. The exchange degenerated into name-calling, mock polls and personal insults, with a few posters lamenting the thread's decline.
• Papyrus previews IndyCar Racing 2.0 at E3 1995 1995-05-10 · 36 posts
  Papyrus posted a press release previewing IndyCar Racing 2.0 at the 1995 E3. Rick Genter of Papyrus confirmed it would have the same two-player modem/IPX support as NASCAR Racing, and attendees described networked beta stations at the Indy 500 Fanfest. The thread was dominated by Bryon La's complaints about hardware requirements and no track editor, which led to a heated, insulting exchange with Ralf Southard and others over whether ICR was a sim or a game.
• Argument over sharing car setups in Papyrus sims 1995-06-18 · 78 posts
  A player complained that fast drivers refused to share setups. Ralf Southard and league racers argued setups take great effort and often do not transfer between drivers because of differing styles, citing tests where borrowed setups were slower. Grant Aldrich insisted driving style was irrelevant and responded with insults and abusive messages, prompting a hostile exchange. The thread later produced practical advice, setup postings and Dover setup discussion, plus jokes about 'racing SIMMs'.
• Need for Speed criticism turns into a flame war 1995-10-01 · 32 posts
  A poster called The Need for Speed awful, citing low-resolution graphics and no serial support, and recommended Hi-Octane instead. Others replied that the game had SVGA and modem play and suggested he read the manual, while some contrasted it as an arcade game with NASCAR Racing as a sim. The thread degenerated into a long personal exchange between Bill Gill and Chuck Lamphear about free speech and spelling.
• Grand Prix 2 requirements spark F1GP versus Papyrus flame war 1995-12-12 · 22 posts
  Asked about Grand Prix 2 hardware requirements, a poster quoted MicroProse's minimum of a 486DX2-66 with 8 MB, while rumours said it needed a P90. The thread became a heated argument between F1GP loyalists and NASCAR and ICR II fans, spilling into insults about F1 and NASCAR fans, with a few posters saying they enjoyed all the games.
• Argument over cancelbots and binary posts in discussion groups 1996-02-12 · 28 posts
  A cancelbot notice about large binary posts set off a cross-posted argument over whether binaries belong in discussion newsgroups. Some posters wanted binaries in their own groups, while others, including John Wallace and Tero Paananen, said that users paying per byte or per minute were hurt by them. Afzal Ballim noted that racing-sim binaries belong in alt.binaries.simulators.autos with a pointer posted in r.a.s. The exchange became personal and insulting before people asked for it to move elsewhere.
• CART versus IRL argument after the 1996 Indy 500 1996-05-28 · 20 posts
  A poster urged players to replace Indianapolis with Michigan in their sim seasons and insulted IRL driver Buddy Lazier, which drew angry replies defending Lazier for racing with a broken back. The thread became an argument about CART versus IRL, the crash at the US 500 start, and NASCAR versus F1 popularity. Several posters asked for it to move elsewhere.
• Cross-posted freon spam spawns long ozone debate 1996-06-13 · 273 posts
  A spam advertising a 'legal Freon substitute' was cross-posted to many automotive groups, including r.a.s. It produced a long off-topic argument about refrigerants, EPA rules, whether CFCs deplete ozone, and abuse of rental cars, with plenty of insults. Repeated requests to take it elsewhere were ignored.
• Frustration over delayed ICR2 DOS patch 1996-06-21 · 47 posts
  A user who could not find the long-promised IndyCar Racing II patch started a thread that became a heated argument about whether customers were entitled to timely bug fixes. Critics said the yellow-flag and AI bugs had gone unfixed for eight months, while defenders said the patch was free and Papyrus was unusually communicative. Kyle Stevens later apologised for his part in the name-calling.
• ICR2 patch delay sparks long argument and Papyrus replies 1996-06-22 · 116 posts
  A long and abusive thread argued over the eight-month wait for the IndyCar Racing II patch, with complaints about the yellow-flag bug and accusations that resources had been diverted to NASCAR 2 and the Win95 version. Rick Genter stated the patch was in Sierra QA and expected around that Thursday. Later posts discussed the planned CD exchange for the Win95/DOS/Mac version and urged Ed Martin not to be driven away by the hostility.
• Papyrus's Scott Maris quits newsgroup after ICR2 patch abuse 1996-06-30 · 29 posts
  A user asked Ed Martin why no Win95 patch would be offered; Martin explained the CD exchange plan. Papyrus's Scott Maris added that a downloadable Win95 patch was abandoned as not worth the effort given DirectX and installer issues, which drew obscene replies and threats of piracy. Maris announced he was done with the group, and regulars lamented that abusive posters had driven off another developer.
• Leaked Daytona track for NASCAR Racing condemned 1996-07-02 · 20 posts
  Track author Jed explained that a Daytona track circulating online was not his release and warned it could jeopardise legitimate track efforts. One poster replied abusively and was flamed in return, while others thanked Jed. Viewers noted Papyrus had a Daytona track shown at the Daytona USA attraction opening, though it was reportedly not for public release.
• Arrowhead Speedway track edit for NASCAR Racing 1996-07-19 · 32 posts
  A user released Arrowhead Speedway, a modified North Wilkesboro track, plus a dirt patch for NASCAR Racing. Some criticised it as a reskin bordering on piracy and noted the dirt patch reused Jed's Dover patch, which upset the author. The thread descended into crude personal insults.
• Dispute over Ed Martin's attitude toward posters 1996-07-28 · 35 posts
  After a poster criticised Papyrus's Ed Martin for his tone, many defended him as a rare developer who participated voluntarily and was provoked by abuse, including someone posting under his name. Martin said he was not leaving but that such posts wore him down. The thread included crude insults between other posters, and Papyrus's Adam Levesque joked in passing.
• Off-topic argument over Irvan and Earnhardt Talladega crash 1996-08-06 · 30 posts
  A poster blamed Ernie Irvan for the Talladega crash that sent Dale Earnhardt into the wall. Others defended Irvan as a racing incident, and the original poster replied with a string of capitalised rants. Many regulars told him the topic belonged in rec.autos.sport.nascar.
• Pirated Indianapolis track posted, and kill-file arguments 1996-08-12 · 28 posts
  An anonymous poster uploaded a pirated Indianapolis track for NASCAR and IndyCar Racing II. Regulars condemned it as harmful to the group's relationship with Papyrus. Papyrus's Ed Martin added Tom Wardell to his kill file, which led to arguments over whether Tom was being blamed unfairly and a long side spat about the spelling of 'criticise'.
• Anger over reports of no Grand Prix 2 update 1996-10-20 · 136 posts
  After a poster relayed MicroProse tech support saying there were no plans for a GP2 update with wet weather, a 1996 season or network play, a long and abusive argument followed. Critics said MicroProse had advertised features it did not deliver and gave poor support. Defenders, including John Wallace, said the box made no such promises and called GP2 an excellent sim, and conflicting reports of a planned IPX patch kept the dispute going.
• Cheating and hacked setups on Papyrus's Hawaii online service 1996-10-23 · 97 posts
  Players complained of cheating on Papyrus's Hawaii online racing prototype, such as impossible qualifying speeds at Talladega. A major dispute arose when IVGA member Julian Data defended using hex-edited setups, such as altered rear camber and tiny fuel loads, as a legitimate 'grey area'. Most posters called this cheating, and David Sparks noted that Papyrus was quietly collecting information on cheating methods during the test.
• NASCAR Racing League statement on the IVGA setup controversy 1996-11-12 · 24 posts
  Papyrus's Ed Martin posted an official NRL clarification about the IVGA, whose fast-lap software had captured members' car setups. He stated that anyone with access to information giving an unfair advantage would not be allowed to compete in sanctioned NRL events. IVGA head Don Wilshere disputed the account, and many members asked to be removed from the IVGA.
• Pirated Indy track and a flame war 1996-11-14 · 25 posts
  A user asked why a downloaded Indianapolis track appeared blue in Rendition ICR2. Robert called it pirated software, and the exchange escalated into insults and physical threats from the original poster. Other regulars condemned both the piracy and the behaviour.
• Teen who posted the pirated Indy track defends himself 1996-11-16 · 21 posts
  A 16-year-old Canadian claimed credit for uploading the copyrighted Indianapolis track and argued that US rules did not apply to him. Regulars explained copyright law and newsgroup etiquette, while he complained of mail-bombing and claimed Sierra was deleting posts. The thread became a pile-on.
• IVGA head says Papyrus asked him to sit out the NRL 1996-11-18 · 73 posts
  Don Wilshere posted that Papyrus had asked IVGA staff not to take part in the NASCAR Racing League because their fast-lap software captured members' setups, and he questioned why beta testers could race. Adam Levesque defended the beta testers. Tony Johnson and others laid out the evidence, opinions split on whether banning anyone was fair, and the thread later drifted into NASCAR 2's lack of arcade mode in multiplayer.
• Flame war over Eric Busch's binaries warning 1996-12-05 · 28 posts
  After Eric Busch told a newcomer not to post binaries, the newcomer and others attacked him. Many regulars defended Eric as one of the group's most helpful posters. A later anonymous attack in January brought more defenders and insults.
• Claim that NASCAR Racing 2 is worthless and full of bugs 1996-12-16 · 21 posts
  A poster called NASCAR Racing 2 bug-ridden and not worth $2, and others mockingly offered to buy his copy. A second complainer's Rendition-mode problems turned out to come from running it on a Matrox card, and the exchange descended into crude insults.
• Spam thread that turned into tyre pressure advice 1997-01-07 · 37 posts
  A thread of posts containing only the letter 'a' drew insults and complaints to the poster's ISP. Part way through it became a genuine discussion of how tyre pressure relates to spring rate in NASCAR Racing 2, with Jim Sokoloff estimating about 15 lbs/in per psi, and setups for Richmond were shared.
• Proposal for an IRL sim turns into IRL versus CART fight 1997-01-30 · 22 posts
  A fan proposed an IRL sim using the new G-Force chassis. This set off a bitter argument between IRL supporters and CART fans, with insults about oval-track fans. Some joked that Sega would get the licence.
• Self-described Busch tyre changer calls NASCAR 2 a beta 1997-02-09 · 21 posts
  A poster claiming to be a Busch series tyre changer called NASCAR Racing 2 a buggy beta with an inaccurate Darlington. Most replies mocked his credentials and defended the sim, though one asked for more courtesy.
• Long flame war over Geoff Crammond and Grand Prix 2 1997-02-12 · 90 posts
  A question about whether Geoff Crammond had ever posted on the group led to a long, heated fight over whether GP2 was an unfinished 'beta'. Critics led by David Gary cited frame rates and missing weather and multiplayer, while defenders praised its physics, AI and track modelling. Side arguments compared F1 with CART and NASCAR passing, and posts became increasingly personal.
• Demand for NASCAR 2 patch progress becomes a flame war 1997-03-12 · 37 posts
  A user asked Jim Sokoloff for a percentage-complete figure for the NASCAR Racing 2 patch. Sokoloff declined, explaining that patch work did not conflict with other projects, and many posters defended him. The thread turned into a long argument over whether N2 was 'unfinished', with a bug list from Dave Sparks' FAQ, and ended in personal insults between Eric Adam and Richard Walker.
• Rick Genter's departure; Richard Manning flames Sokoloff 1997-03-15 · 44 posts
  Asked about former Papyrus regulars, Jim Sokoloff said Rick Genter had left to found the startup 5D Games with other ex-Papyrus staff, and that Ed Martin was still at Papyrus preparing the NASCAR Racing Online launch. Richard Manning responded with profane abuse of Sokoloff over the NRO delay, and the group piled on him, with killfile announcements and complaints to his ISP.
• Forged Sokoloff post falsely cancels NASCAR 2 patch and NRO 1997-03-17 · 56 posts
  A forged post in Jim Sokoloff's name claimed Papyrus had cancelled the NASCAR Racing 2 patch and delayed NASCAR Racing Online until NASCAR 3. Readers quickly traced the headers to Richard Manning, and Sokoloff confirmed it was a forgery and that the patch had not been cancelled. Many posters complained to Manning's ISP, which disabled his Netcom account, and Manning later returned with threats and insults.
• Is Hawaii racer Robert Huggins cheating? 1997-04-02 · 38 posts
  A thread asking about Robert Huggins, one of the fastest drivers on Papyrus's Hawaii online NASCAR system, became a debate over whether he cheated. Several racers said replays showed impossible acceleration bursts and damage-free cars, and some claimed he had admitted hacking, while others vouched for his clean driving. Posters criticised the lack of anti-cheat measures on Hawaii and hoped NASCAR Racing Online would fix them.
• MicroProse rep says no network play or GP3 update 1997-04-08 · 36 posts
  MicroProse's Mark Rich posted that Grand Prix 2's 3D engine could not support network play and that no such update had ever been promised. The reply drew a flood of abuse and complaints about poor customer support and frame rates. Some pointed out that their boxes advertised multiplayer or network play, while others noted this meant link and modem play, and several vowed not to buy a GP3.
• Row over David Gary charging $80 for custom N2 cars 1997-04-10 · 41 posts
  Posters attacked David Gary for charging around $80 to paint custom NASCAR 2 and ICR2 cars when most car artists worked for free. Jim Sokoloff and others said it was a free market and buyers could simply decline, but the exchanges between Gary and his critics became abusive. David Noonan mentioned an ICR2-to-N2 track converter he intended to sell, which drew immediate interest.
• Complaints about Thrustmaster quality spark flame war 1997-04-22 · 21 posts
  A user reported five faulty Thrustmaster Grand Prix 1 wheels, and another suggested tuner cleaner for worn potentiometers. Mr Bill blamed Chinese manufacturing, which drew a long reply from Thrustmaster employee Steven Carter writing in a personal capacity. The thread turned into insults involving Mr Bill, Carter, Eric Busch and John Wallace.
• Replay speeds, cheating suspicions and blocking on Hawaii 1997-04-24 · 47 posts
  Don Wilsher argued that Hawaii replays show speeds 2–3 mph higher than actual, countering cheating accusations based on replay data, which David Sparks disputed. The thread became a debate over whether bumping a blocking driver is acceptable online, with John Wallace arguing that it is unfair given netcode lag. A personal feud between Wilsher and Paul Carillon flared before others asked them to take it to e-mail.
• Papyrus announces Busch Grand National add-on for NASCAR 2 1997-05-28 · 137 posts
  Papyrus producer Matt Marsala announced a fall add-on for NASCAR Racing 2 based on the Busch Grand National series, with 10–13 tracks, up to 30 drivers and a Busch calendar. He confirmed that the engine could not support separate physics for Grand National cars, so the pack would add only tracks, cars and a calendar. Many welcomed the short tracks, but Barton Brown and others attacked Papyrus over unfixed AI and patch problems, and the long thread descended into bickering.
• Barton Brown vs NASCAR 2 defenders over installation problems 1997-05-31 · 28 posts
  Barton Brown argued that NASCAR Racing 2 should have been tested on common non-Intel CPUs and video cards, leading to insults with several posters. Jim Sokoloff explained that one user's problem came from software that falsely reported an Intel CPU, said N2 works on Cyrix and AMD chips, and pointed to Sierra's refund policy. The thread was mostly personal attacks.
• Ymenard declares himself r.a.s. leader and is ridiculed 1997-06-02 · 161 posts
  Francois Menard posted that he would act as an 'official leader' of rec.autos.simulators, prompting more than 150 replies. Most mocked the idea, with Jim Sokoloff and Eric Busch joking about the role, while others told him that respect is earned. The thread later turned nasty, with anti-French insults and arguments over racism.
• Anti-French joke about ymenard sparks flame war 1997-06-07 · 23 posts
  A joke that ymenard would surrender like the French drew a crude reply from Franck Murger and a wave of national insults. Several posters lamented that the newsgroup had become dominated by flame wars. The original poster eventually apologised.
• Pirated NASCAR 2 track upload condemned 1997-06-12 · 41 posts
  Someone posted a file claimed to contain extra NASCAR 2 tracks. Most regulars condemned it as piracy that would harm Papyrus's licensing and the newsgroup's reputation, and Jan Kohl reported the poster to his ISP. A few young users defended it and responded with abuse.
• Eagle Woman's CPR review prompts Microsoft rep to quit r.a.s. 1997-12-09 · 239 posts
  Alison (Eagle Woman) posted a critical review of CART Precision Racing, and Microsoft's Dean (CART Team) disputed it, arguing many problems were specific to her system. After a post claiming Microsoft no longer listened to criticism, Dean announced he was leaving the newsgroup like other sim publishers. The thread erupted into a long fight over whether critics had driven him away or he had overreacted, with personal attacks lasting until late December.
• CPR release debate turns into flaming of ymenard 1997-12-11 · 36 posts
  Marc Collins defended Microsoft's release of CART Precision Racing and Dean's participation in the group. The thread quickly turned to Francois Menard (ymenard), who admitted he had illegally emailed the Indianapolis track add-on to people, and he was then mocked at length over his claims to have created r.a.s. and his psychology studies. A proposal that Microsoft replace version 1.0 CDs got little support.
• Calls to moderate r.a.s. after the loss of Dean 1997-12-11 · 49 posts
  A poster blamed abuse for Dean's departure and floated moderating the newsgroup. Francois Menard (ymenard) claimed r.a.s. had been moderated before and was accused by Eric Busch, Joe and others of lying about being its leader. Michael Carver, John Wallace and Richard Walker said they would support moderation or preferred CompuServe's Sports Sims forum, while others valued the unmoderated group's signal-to-noise ratio.
• Ymenard ridiculed, then a Quebec language tangent 1997-12-12 · 26 posts
  Eric Busch posted contradictory quotes about ymenard's age, prompting more ridicule; ymenard said he played a deliberate persona on r.a.s. A remark about French Canadians led to an off-topic debate on Quebec language policy and Scottish Gaelic, which Bart Brown asked to be taken elsewhere.
• Nosferatu announces leaving r.a.s., trades insults 1998-02-05 · 28 posts
  Nosferatu announced he would stop posting now that Papyrus had given 3Dfx patch information. Replies were sarcastic or hostile, and he traded insults with several posters before saying he was returning to the flight sim group. Greg Cisko noted he was well regarded there.
• Diamond's Voodoo2 overheating claim disputed 1998-02-19 · 41 posts
  Ken of The Game Pad posted Diamond's claim that Voodoo2 boards had overheating problems. Most dismissed it as sour grapes because Creative had shipped 12MB boards first, pointing to 3Dfx's rebuttal and accusing GameCenter of bias. The thread turned into name-calling with Ken, then a discussion of why 3Dfx relied on board makers.
• CPR given away with Firestone tyres, flame war follows 1998-03-16 · 60 posts
  Posters mocked Firestone giving away CART Precision Racing with new tyres, and listed the game's flaws when a newcomer asked why it was disliked. Discussion of Microsoft's Monster Truck Madness 2 and Terminal Reality's move to G.O.D. followed. The thread degenerated into personal attacks and email threats between Mike and Bart Brown, with complaints to ISPs.
• CPR's remaining flaws and a feud over its critics 1998-03-19 · 77 posts
  A poster found the new CART Precision Racing demo smooth and asked what was wrong with the full game. Replies cited frame rate drops with more cars, missing yellow flags, braking and steering issues, while George Sandman defended the game and online racing. The thread became a heated exchange between Byron Forbes and CPR supporters, with side arguments over Microsoft requiring Internet Explorer for the Zone.
• David Fisher's rant about r.a.s. turns into a feud 1998-04-13 · 20 posts
  David Fisher posted a long complaint about insults on r.a.s. during the GPL and CPR debates, alluding to vulgar forged messages without naming anyone. Bart Brown took it as an accusation and demanded a public apology, threatening further action. Others agreed the group had become intolerant, while some defended blunt criticism.
• Clash over critic calling GPL arcade-like and too hard 1998-04-17 · 31 posts
  A poster named Charles Mak, who had repeatedly attacked the GPL demo as twitchy and arcade-like and demanded easier steering, drew a hostile response. Others accused him of trolling and ignorance and the exchanges turned personal, while some defended his point that Papyrus should add driving aids to sell well. Side discussions covered optimized versus DirectInput controller modes and distrust of magazine reviewers after CART Precision Racing.
• Linear vs non-linear steering in GPL and a worn wheel 1998-04-19 · 29 posts
  Charles Mark reported his trials of GPL's linear and non-linear steering settings and found none worked well. Byron Forbes mocked him, especially after it emerged that his wheel's centring was worn, and the exchange became personal. Others gave practical advice about wheel maintenance, centring bungees and controller quality, and argued that pricier wheels mainly add durability.
• Complaint thread about poster Byron Forbes 1998-04-25 · 32 posts
  A thread started to complain about Byron Forbes's abrasive posting drew little support. Most regulars called it a troll by his GPL critic and defended Forbes's contributions. It turned into a long running joke about returning a defective 'Forbes (TM)' model under warranty.
• Randy Magruder's Gran Turismo review sparks PC vs console debate 1998-05-11 · 93 posts
  Randy Magruder posted his Digital Sportspage review of the US Gran Turismo, saying PC racing collections had become 'second rate'. The long cross-posted thread debated the lack of damage, whether replays should count toward the graphics score versus Need for Speed III, and whether GT was a sim or arcade game. It later degenerated into insults between Playstation and PC fans over gamepads and controllers.
• Ordering-number post for Burnout called spam 1998-05-29 · 20 posts
  Beta tester Don Wilsher posted Bethesda's toll-free number for ordering Burnout because shops had sold out. Ronald Stoehr called it spam and others accused him of overreacting, with insults traded before he accepted it was a private service rather than advertising.
• MicroProse rep calls GP2 editors illegal, sparking backlash 1998-06-06 · 55 posts
  A question about whether GP2 cars differ in performance drew Mark Rich of MicroProse Europe, who said they did and that third-party editors were illegal and could break the game. Regulars who had used GP2Edit and track editors extensively disputed this and challenged whether he spoke for the company. He confirmed he gave the official customer-services line, and the group argued that community add-ons had kept GP2 alive.
• Spectators killed at Michigan CART race and safety debate 1998-07-26 · 74 posts
  A poster reported that three spectators were killed when a wheel from Adrian Fernandez's car went into the stands at Michigan's US 500. A complaint that real-racing news was off-topic set off a heated argument. The thread then debated spectator safety on US ovals versus road courses, how the wheel cleared the fence, and the risks that spectators and marshals accept.
• Backlash at criticism of The Pits' free NASCAR 2 add-on 1998-08-06 · 44 posts
  Mark F. attacked The Pits for releasing a free NASCAR 2 50th-anniversary add-on without fixing dirt-track grip, likening them to Microsoft. Many posters defended the volunteer modders and ridiculed him, and the thread drifted into US versus British spelling. The track's author explained that editing traction only affected the player car, not the AI, so he left it unchanged.
• Defence of CART Precision Racing sparks long flame war 1998-08-17 · 134 posts
  A long-time player wrote that CART Precision Racing was better than its reputation, prompting a 134-post fight. Microsoft beta tester David G. Fisher insisted CPR veterans were top drivers and critics knew nothing of real CART cars, while Randy Magruder and John Wallace detailed specific flaws such as missing rear downforce, imprecise control and wall-contact behaviour. Insults flew on both sides, while others noted Microsoft had dropped support for the title.
• Monaco GP demo seen as merely F1RS version 1.1 1998-09-26 · 26 posts
  Marc Collins concluded after playing the English Monaco GP demo that it was essentially F1RS with fixes sold at full price. Iain Mackenzie and others said the demo was unrepresentative and pointed to a positive beta review, while others agreed the changes were patch-level. The thread degenerated into personal insults.
• Debate over GPL car handling, AI lines and difficulty 1998-10-02 · 61 posts
  David G Fisher questioned why human hotlaps in GPL looked wild and sideways while the AI drove smoothly at similar times. Respondents argued hotlaps differ from race driving, pointed to Dave Mansell's smooth Spa hotlap as proof that clean fast driving was possible, and debated whether GPL confused difficulty with realism. The thread degenerated when Jay Wolf declared the cars too twitchy and traded insults with several regulars, though he later conceded his skills were improving.
• Debate over GPL's letterbox view and AI behaviour 1998-11-04 · 51 posts
  A user asked why GPL's track view is letterboxed. Defenders said the wide aspect ratio was a deliberate field-of-view and frame-rate choice, while Lawrence Edwards criticised it along with aggressive AI and difficulty. The exchange turned heated with insults and a racist remark from one poster, though advice on brake bias and AI tweaks was also given.
• Thrills of online GPL racing and a POD spat 1998-11-22 · 45 posts
  Andrew MacPherson and others described close, intense online GPL races and the concentration they demand. A throwaway remark about POD led to a sharp exchange with David G Fisher, and the thread ended with UK players discovering they lived near each other and discussing a GPL LAN weekend.
• MGPRS2 praised as best F1 sim, nationalist flame follows 1998-12-12 · 60 posts
  A UK poster hailed Monaco Grand Prix Racing Simulation 2 as the best F1 sim while taking swipes at Americans, provoking angry replies. The thread turned into arguments over Ubisoft's physics versus Papyrus's, whether amateur racers can judge realism, and whether developers read the newsgroup, with Trevor Thomas of Thomas Enterprises noting he reads daily. It ended in a USA versus Europe slanging match.
• Troll claims EA's NASCAR Revolution beats Papyrus 1998-12-13 · 44 posts
  A newcomer insulted the group while claiming EA's NASCAR Revolution demo would end Papyrus's dominance. Regulars dismissed it as an arcade game, some reported a boot sector virus from the EA download, and an argument about sales figures for NASCAR 2 versus F1RS followed.
• What is the appeal of NASCAR sims? 1998-12-14 · 75 posts
  A poster asked what fans see in NASCAR Racing 2 compared with road racing sims. Fans cited setup work, close pack racing and the challenge of online NROS racing, while critics found ovals boring. The thread degenerated into transatlantic jibes about NASCAR, F1, soccer and the Olympics.
• Y2K poster predicts programmer conscription 1998-12-30 · 22 posts
  A poster argued that Y2K would lead to programmers being drafted and delay sim releases. Regulars repeatedly told him the topic did not belong on the newsgroup, and Trans Am Racing developer Todd Hecke posted a satirical dialogue.
• Row over a GPL replay attached to a newsgroup post 1999-01-08 · 22 posts
  Brian Matthews objected to a post with a GPL replay file attached, warning about large attachments from dubious addresses and viruses. The poster apologised and moved the file to alt.binaries.simulators.autos, while the thread descended into regional insults about the Welsh and English before apologies.
• Backlash against Thomas Enterprises' defence of the TSW wheel 1999-01-09 · 42 posts
  Karl complained that anyone praising a non-TSW wheel was attacked by TSW supporters. Trevor Thomas of Thomas Enterprises responded combatively and called critics clowns, which many posters said was unprofessional and would cost him customers, while TSW owners defended both the wheel and his right to respond.
• NASCAR 1999 controls complaint sparks Mac versus PC flame 1999-01-24 · 53 posts
  A buyer complained NASCAR 1999's controls made the car undriveable, but most users reported no problems and suggested calibration fixes. The poster's claims about Macs being superior led to a long, insulting Mac versus PC argument.
• NASCAR Revolution question derailed by signature row 1999-02-10 · 62 posts
  A question about EA's NASCAR Revolution was overshadowed by objections to the poster's signature, which quoted violent song lyrics. Regulars scolded him and listed his other newsgroup activity, he swore back, briefly apologised and then argued again. The few on-topic replies described the NASCAR Revolution demo as attractive but more arcade than sim.
• Rendition graphics cards for GPL turn into crossposting flame 1999-02-16 · 42 posts
  A question about Rendition Verite cards for GPL got useful answers about the Diamond Stealth S220 and Hercules Thriller 3D and their native RRedline support in Papyrus sims. The thread then degenerated into a flame war over the original poster's crossposting to several unrelated newsgroups.
• Troll attacks critics of NASCAR Revolution 1999-02-18 · 38 posts
  After a negative review of NASCAR Revolution, 'The Rodster' insulted critics and then appeared to post under other names, flooding the thread with 'plonk' messages. Regulars killfiled him, and a side discussion covered whether games are written in C, C++ or assembly and the causes of memory leaks.
• 'EA Rules' troll flames NASCAR sim fans 1999-02-19 · 70 posts
  A poster calling himself 'EA Rules' attacked NASCAR Racing 1999 Edition and defended NASCAR Revolution while insulting the group. Regulars mocked and killfiled him, the exchange descended into crude personal abuse, and many suspected he was the same person as 'The Rodster'.
• Gran Turismo question turns into attacks on a regular 1999-03-04 · 33 posts
  A newcomer asked whether Gran Turismo could be discussed in the group; a few replies said yes, but most of the thread became personal and xenophobic attacks on regular poster François Ménard by 'The Rodster' and others. Ménard defended himself and several regulars backed him.
• Do GPL drivers slide too much compared with period footage 1999-03-22 · 42 posts
  One poster said a Jackie Stewart video had revived his enthusiasm for GPL, showing period drivers constantly sawing at the wheel. David G Fisher countered that period footage showed cars sliding far less than human GPL drivers do. This reopened his long-running dispute with GPL fans, and the thread degenerated into personal sniping about the so-called 'Papyrus 10'.
• David G Fisher complains about GPL loyalists on the newsgroup 1999-03-24 · 59 posts
  David G Fisher posted a sarcastic complaint that a small group of regulars attacked anyone who criticised GPL. Some defended his experience and points, but most told him to stop being dramatic, and the exchange became a long round of sarcasm and insults before drifting into talk about engine failures and Star Wars.
• Voodoo3 versus TNT2 argument 1999-04-08 · 102 posts
  A new Voodoo3 2000 owner complained of driver and gamma problems with his sims, and others suggested a clean Windows reinstall. The crossposted thread became a long, quasi-religious argument between 3dfx and nVidia supporters over 32-bit color, AGP texturing, large textures and Glide support, with mockery on both sides and pleas to stop.
• Best F1 sim: GPL, GP2, F1RS or MGPRS2 1999-04-14 · 23 posts
  A GP2 owner asked about the best F1 sims, and most replies told him to buy Grand Prix Legends. For modern F1, posters argued over whether GP2, F1 Racing Simulation or its update Monaco Grand Prix Racing Simulation 2 was better, and the debate turned to crude insults between a few regulars.
• Columbine shooting and claims that video games cause violence 1999-04-25 · 151 posts
  After the Columbine school shooting, a poster called for a campaign defending PC games against claims they cause violence. The very long off-topic thread moved from games and violent films to parental responsibility, gun control, US and UK attitudes to firearms, self-defence and religion, with increasingly personal exchanges before pleas to get back on topic.
• Customer complains about Suncom support for SFS throttle 1999-05-05 · 23 posts
  A Suncom SFS throttle owner posted an appeal about a suspected defect, then, after getting no reply, insulted the company. A Dutch Suncom distributor responded, others suggested that politeness gets better service, and the thread descended into arguments about profanity in the newsgroup.
• Impatience over delayed GPL 1.1 and NASCAR 1999 patches 1999-05-12 · 25 posts
  Marc Collins complained that Papyrus was slower to patch NASCAR Racing 1999 than Ubi Soft had been with its F1 titles, and others called the GPL patch long overdue at seven months. Some defended Papyrus for wanting to get it right. The thread quickly degenerated into personal insults, mainly between David G Fisher and others, with mistaken-identity jokes along the way.
• Sierra's Papyrus compared to Indy under Tony George; CART vs IRL war 1999-05-16 · 114 posts
  Jr Bill lamented that Papyrus under Sierra, like the Indy 500 under Tony George, was dying, after news that NASCAR 3 would not use the GPL engine. The thread quickly became a long and bitter CART-versus-IRL argument about driver talent, attendance, TV ratings, CART's stock and the planned Indianapolis F1 road course, with John Bodin defending the IRL against many critics. Insults between Bodin and Byron Forbes led to an apology, and late posters lamented the decline in the group's tone.
• RREVVED's SCGT sound pack released, then a spelling flame war 1999-05-27 · 39 posts
  Users praised RREVVED's new engine sound pack for Sports Car GT, despite early FTP connection problems. When a user asked why it replaced only 16 sound files, David Masten's correction of his spelling provoked an angry, profane response, and the thread degenerated into insults and arguments about online civility. One late poster noted the louder sounds made it hard to hear his own engine.
• Voodoo2 versus Banshee mix-up turns hostile 1999-06-30 · 23 posts
  A poster advertised a cheap '16MB Voodoo2' card, and regulars explained that no 16MB Voodoo2 existed and the card was actually a Voodoo Banshee. The poster reacted defensively and the exchange degenerated into insults, with others asking that it be taken elsewhere.
• Off-topic 'Cowards' rant escalates into a flame war 1999-07-01 · 137 posts
  A poster, Steven Palmer, ranted about anonymous 'cowards' after the Voodoo2/Banshee dispute, and regulars responded with killfile announcements and accusations of trolling. Mark Stahl reported that Palmer complained to his ISP and attacked him over ICQ. A joke about Vietnam veterans provoked angry responses and an apology, and the 137-post thread spiralled into arguments about free speech, veterans and wartime history.
• Abuse complaint thread spirals into off-topic flame war 1999-07-03 · 77 posts
  A poster complained publicly of abuse from another group member, continuing the Steven Palmer dispute, and Mark Stahl reported receiving a threatening late-night phone call. Regulars demanded the feud be taken elsewhere, and the thread wandered into insults about disability benefits, an argument about the word 'gay', Mike Hawthorn's fatal road crash and in-jokes about the Vegeserver.
• Thomas Super Wheel quality and service dispute 1999-07-28 · 55 posts
  A buyer asked whether the Thomas Super Wheel was worth it; most owners praised its robustness, while some recommended ECCI or SRC wheels. Bob Curtin described a months-long repair ordeal, which led to a heated public exchange with Thomas Enterprises' Dave Thomas Jr and Trev, who said their records showed otherwise, and with Randy Magruder. Many other owners reported good service, and ECCI said it had considered force feedback.
• Poster claims Porsche 911s never oversteer 1999-08-12 · 74 posts
  A poster calling himself Schumacher claimed Porsche 911s are designed never to oversteer and insulted those who disagreed. Many replied that lift-off oversteer is the 911's most infamous trait, corrected his description of mid-engined supercars as rear-engined, and explained understeer and oversteer. The thread became a long mockery of a perceived troll.
• NASCAR versus F1 argument turns personal 1999-08-29 · 63 posts
  A Canadian poster boasted of seeing F1, CART and NASCAR on TV, which set off an argument over which series had real racing and better drivers. The Mocker claimed F1 drivers lacked car control, and John Wallace and others rebutted him at length, with insults traded on both sides. Side discussions covered team orders at McLaren and touring car drivers.
• Will NASCAR Racing 3 succeed without strong online play? 1999-09-05 · 50 posts
  Andrew Britton argued that multiplayer support would make or break NASCAR Racing 3. TEN and OSCAR figures said online racing was the future, while Ed Bain, Bruce Kennewell and Joe McGinn cited sales data showing online players remained a small minority. The exchange turned personal, with name-calling between Ed Bain and TEN regulars, and a poster said N2 racers would be removed from TEN/Pogo in mid-October.
• Debate over whether GP3 is just GP2 again 1999-09-06 · 44 posts
  Some argued the Grand Prix 3 screenshots looked no better than GP2 and that it reused the old engine, while others said the software-mode shots were impressive and hardware support was promised. Karl Zosel claimed GP2 had been a rip-off, sparking a hostile exchange with insults. Others recalled that GP2's physics had been revolutionary and that its SVGA mode was reportedly a late addition.
• Death of Gonzalo Rodriguez at Laguna Seca 1999-09-11 · 67 posts
  Posters mourned Gonzalo Rodriguez, killed in a practice crash at Laguna Seca while driving for Team Penske, and discussed the lack of tyre barriers in the Corkscrew. The thread moved to track safety, Senna's death and whether Michael Schumacher's leg-breaking crash had been life-threatening. That last argument became a bitter exchange of insults involving Meiji and others.
• Is NASCAR Racing 3 just a rehash of NASCAR 2? 1999-09-21 · 77 posts
  A rant that NASCAR Racing 3 looked silly next to Grand Prix Legends set off a long, insult-laden argument between GPL fans and NASCAR fans. Critics said N3 was an N2 engine with better graphics and unrealistic physics, while defenders said it was the best NASCAR sim available and offered better online racing. The thread wandered into store return policies and Sierra's cancellation of several titles.
• Pentium III owner hits back at critics 1999-10-12 · 37 posts
  Morris Jones objected to the rude replies to his new-PC post, which drew further mockery and a sharp, profane exchange led by Antti Markus Peteri. Other posters discussed Athlon versus Pentium III performance in GPL and the lack of Athlon motherboards from ASUS.
• Ferrari's disqualification from the 1999 Malaysian Grand Prix 1999-10-17 · 320 posts
  A huge off-topic thread argued about Ferrari's disqualification from the 1999 Malaysian Grand Prix over oversized barge boards and the resulting title implications. Barton Brown and Bruce Kennewell defended Ferrari and blamed the FIA and Ecclestone, while John Wallace and others insisted the rules had been broken. Later posts debated sportsmanship, team orders and Michael Schumacher's conduct, often with personal jabs.
• Pile-on against Greg Cisko over wheel opinions 1999-10-17 · 39 posts
  Several regulars told Greg Cisko to lighten up after his combative posts, including one attacking an owner of an expensive analog wheel who preferred it to force feedback. Cisko and Barton Brown traded insults, while others joked about the dispute. Some posters debated analog wheels such as the TSW and Hyperstimulator versus force-feedback wheels.
• Papyrus defends AI line at Riverside in NASCAR Legends 1999-10-29 · 69 posts
  Douglas Sharp reported that the NASCAR Legends AI cut far into the dirt at Riverside turn six. Papyrus's Scott Sanford said this was intentional and based on race tapes. Former Riverside racers and marshals disputed it, and Sanford said hostility was why Papyrus staff rarely posted and pointed to tools for editing the AI line. The thread descended into trolling and insults.
• Argument over oval track safety after Greg Moore's death 1999-10-31 · 73 posts
  Ronnie Pedersen asked why American ovals lacked tyre or water barriers in front of walls, which many read as an attack on Americans. Bob Curtin and others replied angrily and accused him of hindsight, while Pedersen apologised for the wording. The debate covered sand traps versus grass, tyre walls and whether high-speed open-wheel oval racing can be made safe.
• Spoiler row over Hakkinen's 1999 world championship 1999-10-31 · 43 posts
  A post titled with Mika Hakkinen's title-winning result angered fans who had taped the race and wanted no spoilers. A long argument followed between those demanding SPOILER tags and those saying anyone avoiding results should stay off the newsgroup, with insults on both sides.
• Accusation of online cheating in GPL turns into flame war 1999-11-07 · 106 posts
  Andre Warringa reported a GPL online racer at Watkins Glen who lapped in exactly 59 seconds while cutting across the grass. Some said it was server warping. Mike Adam angrily attacked the cheating claim and then revealed that he was the driver, which set off a long flame war. No conclusion was reached about whether it was a glitch or an exploit.
• Complaints that NASCAR Racing 3 has become unenjoyable 1999-11-20 · 65 posts
  Larry listed N3's problems, including AI behaviour, force feedback, wobbly cars and online issues. Tracey Miller mocked him by quoting his earlier praise for the game. Others argued over GPL versus N3, NASCAR Legends and the value of complaint threads, with plenty of insults.
• Corner-cutting at Riverside in NASCAR Legends 1999-11-26 · 76 posts
  A question about lap times at Riverside in NASCAR Legends became a long argument over cutting through the dirt as the AI does. The poster ymenard argued that it was legitimate because the AI and real drivers did it, while John Simmons and Scott Hoffner called it unsporting, and Simmons muzzled him on his servers. Marc J. Nelson posted photos of real cars cutting turn six, and former spectators said no one did it every lap.
• Asking for the best wheel and pedals descends into feud 1999-12-02 · 26 posts
  Allan Pagan asked for the best wheel and pedal setup for a sponsor hospitality simulator. Act Labs's Raymond Chow recommended his company's wheel, and others suggested the Hyperstimulator. Brian Sweeney then attacked Pagan over his comments in another newsgroup, and their personal feud took over the thread.
• Arguments over Microsoft versus Logitech force-feedback wheels 1999-12-12 · 42 posts
  A gift-buyer's question about the Microsoft Sidewinder FF wheel set off a long argument. Shumi and others said the Microsoft wheel was imprecise and hurt frame rates, while Douglas Ellison and other owners reported no problems. Act Labs's Raymond Chow promoted the Force RS, and the exchanges grew increasingly personal.
• Spam for reversing sensors sparks long off-topic argument 1999-12-25 · 54 posts
  A spam advert for car reversing sensors drew Daxe Rexford's remark that anyone needing one should not drive, which set off a long argument about child safety, mirrors, speed limits and SUVs. Leaky_Valve traded insults with several regulars, and the thread drifted into jokes and complaints about its length for a piece of spam.
• New Year post turns into millennium and grammar argument 2000-01-01 · 83 posts
  A tipsy New Year's greeting led to a long off-topic argument over whether the millennium started in 2000 or 2001, how years and decades are counted, and the meaning of A.D. The thread then degenerated into spelling and grammar sniping, religion jabs and name-calling between Daxe Rexford, Leaky_Valve, Tom Pendergas and others, before the original poster apologised good-naturedly.
• Avault's 2.5-star Dirt Track Racing review divides readers 2000-01-04 · 43 posts
  A poster attacked Avault reviewer Bob Mandel for giving Dirt Track Racing 2.5 stars. Several regulars agreed with the review, finding the tracks samey and the graphics and physics weak, while DTR supporters, notably Pete, cited Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s endorsement and real racers in the beta group. Exchanges between Pete and Ron Ayton became openly insulting.
• Rant about hearing-impaired store employee sparks flame war 2000-01-17 · 107 posts
  A poster ranted about being unable to reach an Electronics Boutique store staffed by a hearing-impaired employee while trying to buy a wheel. The thread exploded into a 100-post argument about disability, employment and political correctness, with heavy name-calling on both sides and at least one poster calling for opponents to be shot.
• Rant over Daytona track availability and legality 2000-02-21 · 20 posts
  A poster ranted that Papyrus was greedy for restricting its Daytona track to a Daytona 500 souvenir CD and called GPL a fiasco. He was widely mocked, and others blamed the track owners. PowerSims's Scott Husted said using the track in NASCAR 3 was not legal, while others argued owning both should allow personal use.
• What is the appeal of oval racing? 2000-02-29 · 90 posts
  A French poster asked what people find interesting in oval racing. NASCAR fans explained the close pack racing, drafting, constant passing and team drama, while European fans called it monotonous. The long thread had insults between British and American posters and digressions on roundabouts and driver fitness.
• Oval racing debate continues: skill and IROC 2000-03-01 · 101 posts
  Continuing the oval racing debate, NASCAR fans argued each oval needs different techniques and pointed to IROC, where NASCAR drivers usually beat road racers. Skeptics said ovals all look alike and doubted the skill of NASCAR and CART drivers compared with F1. Some converts said NASCAR 3 online changed their minds, and the thread dragged into arguments about driver fitness.
• 2000 Australian Grand Prix and Ferrari team-order theories 2000-03-11 · 74 posts
  A spoiler post on the 2000 Australian GP led to debate over whether Barrichello's late pit stop after passing Schumacher was a team order. Several posters explained it as a switch to a two-stop strategy to get past Frentzen, with Schumacher conserving his car. Others complained loudly about off-topic F1 posts in the sim newsgroup, and the thread included insults and plonks.
• Request for pirated F1 2000 intro movie 2000-03-19 · 26 posts
  A poster asked where to get the intro movie add-on for the pirated F1 2000. He was ridiculed because an intro movie had nothing to do with evaluating a game, and the thread became a slanging match over the phrase "legitimate use of pirated software".
• Hypocrisy over F1 2000 warez versus the GPL converter hack 2000-03-19 · 41 posts
  A poster pointed out the contrast between the newsgroup condemning a leaked hack of Dave Noonan's ICR2-to-GPL converter while many openly played pirated F1 2000. rrevved justified testing EA games after his experience with NASCAR Revolution, while Cliff Roman, Bruce Kennewell and others called it rationalised theft that could hurt developer ISI. The thread included personal attacks on ymenard.
• Papyrus NASCAR Acceleration Pack angers existing customers 2000-03-19 · 32 posts
  Marc Collins noted Papyrus's new NASCAR Acceleration Pack bundling N3, NASCAR Legends and the Craftsman Truck add-on, which undercut what loyal buyers had paid while N3 patches were still unfinished. Others defended it as normal pricing practice. The thread degenerated into insults aimed at ymenard. Late posts noted Charlie Heath's departure from Papyrus and a new 1200 beta patch said to greatly improve online play.
• Whether F1 2000's driving model is realistic 2000-03-20 · 188 posts
  This very long thread debated whether modern F1 cars are easy to drive, so that F1 2000's forgiving handling was realistic, or whether the game was simply arcade-like compared with GPL. Gregor Veble argued there is only one kind of physics. Others cited track-day experiences and inaccurate track elevations. The thread drifted into flames and off-topic banter.
• Greg Cisko's insulting post at F1 2000 warez users 2000-03-23 · 36 posts
  Greg Cisko attacked people playing pirated F1 2000 without buying it. Many took offence at the sweeping insults, and Borut Srebotnik's reply mocking his language was widely praised. Others argued over whether demos are representative and whether warez can stand in for a demo.
• rrevved wrongly accuses a poster of pirating GPL 2000-03-24 · 30 posts
  A poster complained about the cost of buying the GPL converter, ICR2 and NASCAR Legends just to get the converted tracks, and said warez was tempting. rrevved accused him of having used GPL without paying, citing old posts. Many defended the poster, who insisted he had bought GPL, and rrevved eventually apologised. The episode showed how edgy the group had become over warez.
• Is F1 2000 worth buying and ymenard's warez copy 2000-03-26 · 28 posts
  Asked whether F1 2000 was worth buying, posters gave mixed verdicts. rrevved pressed ymenard on whether he owned the game or had only played a warez copy, which led to a bitter exchange. Stephen Ferguson observed that F1 2000 was the first title widely judged from warez copies rather than beta testers. One poster noted it was already selling for $19.99.
• Getting airborne in GPL and a spelling flame war 2000-04-01 · 117 posts
  Posters listed places to get airborne in GPL, such as the Nurburgring, the Laguna Seca corkscrew and Mosport. Bruce Kennewell's spelling corrections set off a long argument about English usage, non-native speakers and language evolution, which overtook the thread.
• Has GPL spoiled players for other sims 2000-04-04 · 123 posts
  A long debate asked whether GPL fans unfairly dismissed newer titles such as F1 2000 and NFS Porsche Unleashed. Some argued that the group is about simulators and GPL is rightly the benchmark. Others, including Colin and Paul Kierstead, said the total experience matters beyond physics. David G Fisher repeatedly mocked the 'same old' GPL crowd, drawing sharp responses from Pat Dotson and others.
• N3 Craftsman Truck add-on error 1501 on WON 2000-04-09 · 20 posts
  Users reported error 1501 when connecting to WON with the new N3 Craftsman Truck add-on. Some posters were evidently using a leaked ripped copy, prompting Cliff Roman to point out they had no grounds to complain. The thread descended into insults between Al Stiff and ymenard.
• Speedvision's Legends of Motorsport and a free cable dispute 2000-04-18 · 33 posts
  A poster praised Speedvision's historic racing programmes, and others discussed Goodwood and Moss's driving. Rick, known for past Y2K doom posts, accused the poster of stealing free cable service, which led to a heated exchange and mockery of Rick's history.
• Outrage over pirated GPL converter post 2000-04-21 · 24 posts
  A poster announced that Noonan's converter had been posted to a binaries newsgroup, drawing insults from many regulars. It turned out that the upload lacked the unRAR password. Another poster defended free sharing on the internet, and Bruce Kennewell rebutted him.
• F1 2000 track accuracy and GPL loyalists' criticism 2000-04-26 · 52 posts
  A discussion of claims that F1 2000's Silverstone kerbs were inaccurate grew into an argument over whether GPL fans dismissed F1 2000 unfairly. Iain Mackenzie and GraDee said the tracks were accurate and the game needed time and setup work, while Michael Carver and others insisted their poor opinions came from real testing. It became a heated and personal exchange involving David G Fisher and ymenard.
• Andre Warringa argues F1 2000 is easier than GPL 2000-04-26 · 81 posts
  Andre Warringa wrote that he matched the fastest F1 2000 lap he could find at Barcelona after two hours, whereas GPL hotshots remained far beyond him, and argued that GPL rewards talent more. David G Fisher accused him and other GPL fans of elitism, and the long thread became a running feud between Fisher and GPL regulars, with side discussions on Monza hotlapping and Rally Championship 2000.
• Backlash over a joke about Coulthard's fatal plane crash 2000-05-05 · 61 posts
  Markus Stiepel posted a joke styled as an F1 disqualification about David Coulthard's plane crash, in which both pilots died. Many found it offensive and replied angrily, while others argued that tastes in humour differ between cultures. The argument spread to jokes about other tragedies, and a side discussion covered Carl Fogarty's TT crash.
• User without NASCAR games asks for converter track files 2000-05-05 · 24 posts
  A French user who had bought the GPL track converter but owned no Papyrus NASCAR or IndyCar games asked for track files. Regulars refused, saying the converter was meant for tracks people owned, and suggested demos or cheap used copies. The exchange became hostile over suspicions of piracy, and he eventually said he had found tracks elsewhere.
• Responses to a columnist's attack on NASCAR after Petty's death 2000-05-15 · 42 posts
  Posters responded angrily to a Worcester newspaper column that used Adam Petty's death to dismiss auto racing. LegendNo6 posted a measured reply to the columnist, but David G Fisher's disparaging remarks about NASCAR fans set off a hostile argument full of insults and stereotypes.
• ECCI stops selling high-end wheels to individual customers 2000-05-31 · 84 posts
  News that ECCI would make wheels only for commercial customers drew a reply from ECCI's Andy Cers, who implied that praise for rival TSW came from reviewers given free products. Scott Husted angrily rejected the insinuation, while ECCI owners such as Mike Grandy defended the quality of its $1,500 wheels. Others said cheap force-feedback wheels had shrunk the market for premium wheels.
• Software pricing, piracy and moral relativism 2000-06-18 · 100 posts
  Sue argued that high prices for software such as Photoshop and Office encouraged piracy, while others pointed to cheaper or free alternatives and demo versions. The discussion became a heated argument about whether right and wrong are absolute, with Bruce Kennewell and pqt2 against The Enigmatic One and daxe, including insults. It wandered into eating dogs in other cultures and Darwinism.
• F1 2000 crashes on Voodoo 5 and quality argument 2000-06-19 · 25 posts
  A user's F1 2000 crashed to the desktop when starting races on a Voodoo 5, and others suggested driver or sound-driver issues. The thread quickly became an argument between Eric Cote of SimRacingMag, who said the game sucked, and F1 2000 defenders Greg Cisko, Nos and Iain Mackenzie, with Ronald Stoehr joining in. No fix was confirmed.
• Do the new F1 racing games all suck? 2000-07-07 · 33 posts
  Mike, a GPL and GP2 fan, declared that recent F1 titles such as MGPRS2 and F1 2000 were poor. Greg Cisko attacked his judgement, and the exchange became personal, including boasts about salaries and crude insults from others. Others defended F1 2000 and MGPRS2, recommended NFS Porsche and Viper Racing, and praised the F1 World Grand Prix demo.
• Off-topic: WWII history near Spa 2000-07-10 · 58 posts
  Doug Gordon's tribute to his father's WWII unit near Spa turned into an argument about Saving Private Ryan, American-centred war films, and which nations fought in the Battle of the Bulge, including an obscene insult from one poster. Bruce Kennewell and others argued over whether British units fought near Spa, and several posters later apologised to Doug.
• Copyright row over converted GPL tracks on French Pits 2000-07-15 · 83 posts
  A link to the French Pits site's GPL tracks led David Noonan to state that the Suzuka and converted tracks breached his copyright. A long argument followed over whether converted Papyrus tracks could be his copyright, whether he had a licence to sell his converter, and whether third-party track makers need permission from real circuit owners, with ymenard raising the latter point. The site was reported taken down by its ISP during the thread, and some exchanges became abusive.
• Why does Dave Noonan charge for his track converters? 2000-07-17 · 93 posts
  A poster demanded that David Noonan explain why he sold his track converters. Most replies defended his right to charge, pointing to the free tracks he had released and the modest price, while Kai Fuller argued he simply wanted to know how much work was involved before paying. The thread mixed angry exchanges with running jokes about 'Dave's not here'.
• French Pits takedown and an anti-French remark 2000-07-17 · 82 posts
  The closure of the French Pits site led one poster to make a remark about the French, which drew objections from French readers, and he apologised. Ironic stories by m.seery and A Thomas about French hospitality were misread as insults, which led to name-calling with a troll before things were cleared up. The tracks were confirmed to be gone from the site.
• Debate over downloading pirated GP3 before release 2000-07-18 · 70 posts
  A joking post about finding a warez copy of Grand Prix 3 led to a debate on whether downloading pirated games to try before buying is acceptable. Tim Wheatley angrily objected to warez links being posted in the newsgroup, and an argument followed with Vintook about whether anyone could stop such posts. Side discussions covered retailer return policies and the lack of a GP3 demo.
• Leaked warez build of Grand Prix 3 judged a GP2 update 2000-07-21 · 69 posts
  Early impressions from a leaked warez copy of Grand Prix 3 described it as largely GP2 with 3D graphics, force feedback and weather, with complaints about graphics, missing tyre pressure settings and canned spins. Robert Platts and others argued a warez build could not be fairly reviewed, while file dates and the readme suggested it was close to final. Posters argued over whether four years of development had produced enough progress, with some name-calling.
• Poster shares GP3 warez links and is condemned 2000-07-21 · 28 posts
  A poster shared download links to a pirated copy of GP3 and was strongly condemned, replying with obscene abuse. Others debated whether reviews based on warez copies could be trusted, with Bruce Kennewell saying he would only heed buyers' opinions.
• Bruce Kennewell condemns rush to download GP3 warez 2000-07-23 · 52 posts
  Bruce Kennewell compared posters scrambling for the GP3 warez to pigs at a trough. A long ethics debate followed over whether downloading to try before buying is theft, with m.seery and Bruce taking a hard line and Senninha, Simon Brown and others arguing that the lack of a demo justified it. Some exchanges turned to insults.
• Claim that GP3 has canned spins disputed 2000-07-24 · 41 posts
  Danny claimed GP3's spins were canned because the car could not be held in a first-gear wheelspin. Others said wheelspin and slides could be caught in higher gears, and Jan Verschueren explained GP3 needs quick, harsh corrections rather than GPL-style balanced drifts. The thread descended into national insults involving Belgians and Australians.
• GP3 enthusiast's save-game bug sparks Greg Cisko row 2000-07-25 · 29 posts
  A poster enjoying the leaked GP3 noted that saved games did not preserve qualifying positions, which others attributed to GP2-style design. Greg Cisko's insistence that the warez was identical to retail provoked an obscene exchange with Macca. Michael E. Carver explained the phrase 'feet of clay' in relation to Crammond.
• Thread mocking Greg Cisko's dislike of GP3 2000-07-25 · 25 posts
  A poster noted sarcastically that Greg Cisko did not like GP3, prompting crude insults from an anonymous poster and banter from Cisko himself. Cisko later said he had never played GP3 or the warez version, only GP2.
• UK buyer reports early GP3 sales to Hasbro 2000-07-27 · 49 posts
  Lee Armstrong said he had reported shops selling GP3 early to Hasbro while also asking where he could buy a copy early, which drew mockery for hypocrisy. A WHSmith in Farnborough reportedly then refused to sell it until the release date. Greg Cisko's taunts led to an extended argument with Tony Whitley and Glen Priest.
• Complaint that GP3 spins out at every corner 2000-07-28 · 88 posts
  A poster said GP3 spun out at every corner and that F1 2000 was better. Replies suggested his pedals were set as digital rather than analogue, while others cited a High Gear interview in which the West brothers and John Crooke reportedly found GP3's handling unrealistic. The thread turned into an insult-laden argument between Nos and Barry Leek, who later apologised.
• Angry GP3 owner wants to contact Geoff Crammond 2000-07-28 · 21 posts
  Danny asked how to contact Geoff Crammond to complain about GP3's outdated graphics, and was mocked for having used a warez copy. He replied with abuse. Ruud van Gaal noted that many textures lacked bilinear filtering.
• NASCAR Heat preview sparks NASCAR versus F1 flame war 2000-07-31 · 44 posts
  A link to a NASCAR Heat preview turned into a flame war after a poster called NASCAR boring and its drivers rednecks. NASCAR fans responded angrily, defending the drivers' skill and education, and the argument included personal insults and accusations of racism. Some posters clarified that NASCAR Heat was developed by MGI under Hasbro, not by MicroProse.
• Wireplay newsletter rant against GP3 divides the group 2000-08-06 · 30 posts
  David Buttery posted a Wireplay newsletter article criticising GP3 as a lightly updated GP2 with old graphics, slow-motion and no online play. Defenders listed its new features such as dynamic weather, 3D acceleration and force feedback, while critics went through the list dismissing each one. The exchange became heated, with insults traded between fans of GP3, F1 2000 and GPL.
• NASCAR Heat versus GP3 becomes NASCAR versus F1 argument 2000-08-12 · 42 posts
  A dismissive post comparing NASCAR Heat favourably with GP3 provoked Han Monsees to mock NASCAR as 'NASCRAP', which offended NASCAR fans. The thread became a long argument about whether NASCAR is real racing, democracy and TV coverage, before settling into a more reasonable discussion of full-course yellows in NASCAR, CART and F1.
• Request for warez sites provokes piracy row 2000-09-01 · 77 posts
  Tony Gaylord openly asked where to download pirated software, drawing mockery and arguments about the morality of piracy. Barton Brown reported some posters to their ISPs, and one claimed to receive a complaint letter. The thread later drifted into members sharing their own band recordings.
• Poster accused of piracy after ISP complaint 2000-09-05 · 21 posts
  Michael Lapsley complained that someone had reported him to his ISP for supposedly posting about hacking. Barton Brown admitted making the complaint, citing posts about warez, but others pointed out he had confused Back Orifice with Back Office and attributed another poster's words to Lapsley. Many criticised the reporting and mocked the episode.
• Barton Brown's ISP complaint sparks long piracy and ethics debate 2000-09-06 · 137 posts
  Barton Brown posted his exchange with a poster's ISP, prompting a 137-post argument. ymenard and Jo Helsen argued law and morality are not black and white, while Barton and Goy Larsen defended copyright law; the discussion ranged over drug laws, religion and Sydney Olympics road restrictions, with considerable personal sniping.
• Barton Brown apologises for reporting the wrong poster 2000-09-06 · 105 posts
  Michael Lapsley warned others that Barton Brown had complained to his ISP alleging hacking. Barton admitted he had confused Lapsley with another poster and apologised publicly, but the apology was criticised as inadequate and many piled on with insults. The thread grew into a long argument about law, morality and tattling.
• F355 Challenge on Dreamcast and a console flame war 2000-09-20 · 53 posts
  Users praised Sega's F355 Challenge for the Dreamcast, and Nos objected that the group was for PC sims before apologising. Reviewer Randy Magruder gave a detailed positive assessment, saying its physics rivalled anything on any platform and noting the Dreamcast lacked support for PC wheels. Nos then traded insults with Magruder and PHendrix27, briefly announced he was leaving the group, and returned weeks later to continue.
• Continuing row over claim that GPL is too time-consuming 2000-09-27 · 78 posts
  The poster behind 'GPL is shit' clarified that he thought GPL was the best sim but only usable with lots of free time. Regulars replied that a few hours a week was enough and pointed to driving aids and the AITweak utility, while ex-Codemasters employee Damian Wilson joined in calling r.a.s. 'gaming fascists' and preferring GP3 as a game. The exchange descended into insults and troll accusations.
• Is Windows ME bad for sim racers? 2000-10-03 · 57 posts
  Following a post calling Windows ME garbage, users split between those who had problems and those who said it ran fine once System Restore was disabled. GPL racers noted System Restore caused disk activity mid-lap. The thread became abusive, with the original poster and ydoucare trading profanities, before turning to dual booting and Abit motherboard compatibility.
• Argument over reposting spam in the newsgroup 2000-10-07 · 28 posts
  A user replied to a spam message by quoting it in full, and Barton Brown chided him for reposting it and suggested complaining to hosts instead. The user responded with insults and claims about his credentials, and others criticised his behaviour. A later post invoked free speech.
• Cross-posted attack on regular poster rrevved 2000-10-29 · 155 posts
  A poster cross-posted a mocking message about rrevved, an older r.a.s. regular, posting in a PlayStation 2 newsgroup. Some joined in with crude abuse while r.a.s. regulars defended rrevved as helpful and Barton Brown threatened to report abusive posters. The thread drifted into language and accent banter.
• Backlash at Hasbro's Ed Martin over NASCAR Heat AI complaints 2000-10-30 · 68 posts
  A user complained that Hasbro had dismissed questions about NASCAR Heat's yellow-flag AI problems on its forum. Hasbro's Ed Martin questioned why forum matters were raised on r.a.s., drawing heavy criticism for an unprofessional reply, while Bruce Kennewell and others defended him as one of few company reps willing to post there. Marc Collins offered praised constructive criticism, and Martin noted the AI was being addressed in the next patch.
• Rude demand to upload the NASCAR 4 demo 2000-11-28 · 39 posts
  A poster demanded that someone upload the NASCAR 4 demo and called those who had it too dumb to rip it. Regulars condemned his attitude and his warez-sharing habits, with Barton Brown leading the criticism. An accusation that most of r.a.s. had pirated GP3 was rejected.
• NASCAR 4 frame rate help derailed by cross-post troll 2000-11-30 · 34 posts
  Chris Cavin asked why NASCAR 4 ran poorly on his GeForce2 MX, and selecting the T&L driver fixed it. A troll cross-posted the thread to other newsgroups and posted nonsense replies, which regulars mocked or killfiled.
• Warez F1 Championship Season 2000 sparks hostility 2000-12-02 · 33 posts
  Alex Cameron asked for help with poor framerates in a downloaded copy of F1 Championship Season 2000 and said he would buy it if he liked it. Regulars attacked him as a warez user and mocked his spelling; he said he was dyslexic and the exchange became personal. Some on-topic advice covered Detonator driver versions and wheel deadzone problems with Logitech wheels.
• Pabst-Racing GPL simulator revives McArthur track dispute 2000-12-05 · 49 posts
  A post about Pabst-Racing's Lotus 49 GPL simulator led Tim McArthur to repeat his claim that Tom Pabst was using his Sears Point track work for NASCAR 3 without permission. Barton Brown and others challenged him to settle it in court, and the dispute became heated. Tom Pabst posted his own account of the work and explained the Lotus replica, and Bruce Kennewell supplied history on the chassis it was moulded from.
• Detecting GPL engine swaps descends into grammar feud 2000-12-08 · 85 posts
  Rob Swindells argued that swapped engines could be spotted by rev ranges and sound, and Chris Cavin posted each car's rev limits. The thread then turned into a long and petty exchange over grammar and spelling corrections involving Bruce Kennewell, Don Scurlock and ymenard. It ended in off-topic chat about TV game shows and commentators.
• GPLRank naming for FD and FG classes sparks feud 2001-01-14 · 39 posts
  Roger Squires and Ron Ayton criticised GPLRank for not adopting the F2 and F3 communities' FD and FG class names. Others defended GPLRank as a volunteer project focused on F1. Uwe Schuerkamp offered the source code to anyone wanting a separate ranking. The thread turned abusive, with Todd Dry and Ron Ayton trading personal insults.
• Flame war over call to shut NASCAR down 2001-02-21 · 275 posts
  David G Fisher argued that NASCAR should be shut down, calling it badly run and saying its deaths were predictable, and contrasted it with F1's safety record. The thread exploded into a long, hostile exchange with insults, anti-American jibes and accusations of trolling, though some posters agreed NASCAR lagged on safety and offered exposure-based statistics. Fisher partly retracted the shutdown call but kept disparaging the series.
• David G Fisher's NASCAR safety criticism draws hostile replies 2001-02-22 · 29 posts
  David G Fisher posted a 2000 article on NASCAR's handling of autopsies and safety, citing a Darrell Waltrip quote as support for his earlier criticism. Others accused him of quoting selectively and the exchange turned to insults. Later posters offered exposure-based statistics comparing NASCAR and F1 and asked whether NASCAR would react to Earnhardt's death as F1 did after Senna's.
• Fox's NASCAR coverage and retiring Earnhardt's #3 2001-02-23 · 44 posts
  A poster worried that Fox's brash marketing would harm NASCAR after Earnhardt's death. Replies largely defended Fox's Daytona coverage while criticising commercials and commentators, and debated whether the #3 should be retired. An abusive Jeff Gordon fan sparked a flame exchange, and posters noted the US F1 TV deal was still unsettled.
• Flame war over Earnhardt injury reports and NASCAR safety 2001-02-23 · 57 posts
  David G Fisher quoted a doctor's statement that Earnhardt's chin may have hit the steering wheel to argue that safety gear would have helped. Others pointed out the broken lap belt and attacked him harshly, with many declaring they were killfiling him; a few, such as Marty U'Ren, agreed with his criticism of NASCAR's safety attitude while disliking his tone. Requests to take the topic to a NASCAR group were made.
• Schumacher's Melbourne crash and gravel traps on ovals 2001-03-02 · 67 posts
  Txl cited Michael Schumacher's practice flip in Australia as proof of F1's passive safety and suggested gravel traps for NASCAR ovals. NASCAR fans ridiculed the idea, citing flips caused by gravel and the impracticality on banking, while soft walls were discussed. The thread grew heated with insults directed at Txl and David G Fisher.
• Joke theory on why Americans rank low in F1 sims 2001-03-04 · 92 posts
  Dave Henrie joked that Americans lag in GPLRank and F1CS2K rankings because no sim models their driving style, such as using a cell phone at the wheel. Some readers missed the joke and responded with threats, prompting others to defend him, and the thread spun off into long off-topic arguments over whether the US is the greatest country, Europe, language and football.
• Are modern F1 cars too easy with driver aids? 2001-03-14 · 80 posts
  Kevin Anderson argued that modern F1, with traction control and automatic gearboxes, has become like an arcade game. David G Fisher's claim that F1 drivers are the world's best from a global talent pool sparked another F1-versus-NASCAR flame war. Others pointed out driver aids were limited, discussed how small the real talent pool is, and noted the physical demands on F1 drivers.
• NASCAR 4 AI difficulty varies wildly between tracks 2001-03-15 · 28 posts
  Marc Collins found that with the same 100% AI strength he ran last at some tracks but led at Homestead with a downloaded setup, suggesting setups and inconsistent AI. Others shared setup guides and qualifying speeds, while an abusive reply accused him of constant complaining. He asked for per-track AI settings.
• Is F1 Racing Championship a disappointment? 2001-03-15 · 68 posts
  ymenard called Ubi Soft's F1 Racing Championship another failed modern F1 sim, citing AI, sound, controller handling and multiplayer. Others praised its GPS-based tracks and physics, though most agreed the AI and online play with more than four cars were poor. The thread turned into a debate over whether hardcore RAS opinion reflects the wider market and ended in personal sniping.
• Off-topic company name question turns into insults 2001-03-23 · 52 posts
  Andrew asked what people would think a company called 'graphic method' does. Respondents joked and accused him of off-topic market research for a domain name, and the thread degenerated into name-calling with Tim Elhajj.
• Montoya's Brazil drive and Verstappen collision debate 2001-04-03 · 77 posts
  Fans celebrated Juan Pablo Montoya's performance in Brazil, where he passed Michael Schumacher and led before Jos Verstappen rear-ended him. Debate followed over whether Montoya braked early, with a Formula Ford racer arguing the following driver is responsible, and David G Fisher arguing otherwise. Posters noted the FIA fined Verstappen and that he apologised.
• Off-topic anti-virus subscription argument 2001-04-06 · 57 posts
  A user complained about having to pay for Norton anti-virus updates and wondered whether AV companies create viruses. A cross-posted flame exchange followed, with others recommending free alternatives such as InoculateIT and AVG and debating whether background scanning is necessary.
• F1 Racing Championship patch news sparks Papyrus vs Ubi Soft bickering 2001-04-17 · 41 posts
  David G Fisher reported that Ubi Soft had sent an F1 Racing Championship patch to the FIA for approval, with release expected on April 20. The thread quickly turned into a running argument with ymenard and others over whether Papyrus is judged by different standards than other developers, with jibes about F1 Racing Simulation's many patches. A few posters asked what the patch would actually fix; one heard it might reduce grip.
• Ubi Soft orders Formulasim to remove F1RC add-ons 2001-04-19 · 69 posts
  Lugnut linked a Formulasim notice that Ubi Soft had demanded removal of add-ons and patches for F1 Racing Championship, citing its FIA licence. Many posters were outraged, arguing user-made carsets and tracks extend a game's life, and some vowed to boycott Ubi Soft; others noted that most add-ons infringe trademarks and blamed Bernie Ecclestone's licensing terms. David G Fisher defended Ubi Soft, and the thread spun off into copyright of football fixture lists and memories of Ubi's arcade racer POD.
• Ubi Soft's Formulasim action explained by hosting ties 2001-04-21 · 23 posts
  David G Fisher quoted a forum post claiming Formulasim was hosted on Ubi Soft's Gameloft server, so Ubi had to act under its FIA contract and no other F1RC add-on site would be affected. Some posters offered apologies to Ubi Soft, but Formulasim's webmaster was then quoted denying any connection, and ymenard withdrew his apology. The thread featured personal jibes between Fisher and his critics.
• Driven review thread turns into film-taste flame war 2001-05-02 · 111 posts
  A link to a Planet F1 review of Stallone's Driven led to debate over whether race fans should see it, with some finding it fun and others saying it was bad. The thread then turned into a long insult-filled argument started by 'Nos' over intellect, mass taste and Judge Dredd; he later admitted he was winding people up. It ended with lists of favourite films of 2000.
• Open letter to Adam Petty draws mixed reactions 2001-05-11 · 41 posts
  On the first anniversary of Adam Petty's death, a poster published an open letter to him. Some readers were moved and shared their own grief over drivers' deaths, while others questioned posting it on r.a.s., and the thread degenerated into insults, a tasteless joke and arguments over off-topic posting and NASCAR's relevance.
• David G Fisher's 'Montoya hype' post sparks long row 2001-05-14 · 160 posts
  David G Fisher criticised Juan Pablo Montoya's defence against Michael Schumacher at the 2001 Austrian Grand Prix as childish and dangerous. Others debated whether Montoya's blocking and lock-up were legitimate racing, quoting both drivers, while many attacked Fisher for trolling, leading to insults and disputes over his past quotes and F1 viewing figures.
• Pentium 4 versus Athlon argument 2001-05-17 · 196 posts
  A link to an article on P4 thermal throttling triggered a long Intel-versus-AMD argument. Athlon owners cited price/performance and throttling, while P4 owners said their systems ran GPL and N4 fine; claims of AMD compatibility problems were challenged. Insults flew, and the thread ended with tales of burned-out CPUs.
• F1 Racing Championship 2 listing angers waiting F1RC owners 2001-05-18 · 86 posts
  TopLoader linked a game database listing for F1 Racing Championship 2, apparently due in Q3 2001, while owners were still waiting for Ubi Soft's F1RC patch. Many suspected the sequel would replace the patch and criticised Ubi's support, while Iain Mackenzie defended Ubi and said the AI improves with play. The thread became a bad-tempered argument about AI, Ubi's history and the general pessimism on r.a.s.
• Is World Sports Cars myth or reality? 2001-05-20 · 78 posts
  redTed told the West brothers to 'put up or shut up' after two years of World Sports Cars screenshots and no release. Others said a demo had been playable at E3 2000, that Empire had skipped this year's E3, and that the Wests should be left to work; Eric Cote said the physics and car count had moved on greatly. John Simmons and Gerry Aitken responded with heavy abuse, and the thread became a long argument over the tone of the original post.
• Frustration over the delayed F1 Racing Championship patch 2001-06-06 · 65 posts
  A complaint about Ubisoft's long-delayed F1 Racing Championship patch turned into an argument with David G Fisher, who defended the game, blamed AI crashes on players' driving and cited FIA approval as a cause of delay. Others called him a troll and a Ubisoft apologist and challenged his claims to racing skill, and the exchange became openly insulting. It ended with a broader argument over whether GPL deserves to be seen as more demanding than other racing games.
• Papyrus updates GPL D3D patch; DGF row follows 2001-06-13 · 112 posts
  Marc Collins reported an updated GPL Direct3D patch (1.0.0.1) on Papyrus's site that fixed the wrong flag colors, added GeForce 3 support and anisotropic filtering, and cured the distorted trees and vanishing fences; users with GeForce and Radeon cards reported much better image quality, though some menu items failed to display. The thread then turned into a long argument with David G Fisher over GPL devotees, F1RC and F1 TV viewing figures.
• Ubi Soft UK statement on delayed F1RC patch 2001-06-17 · 48 posts
  Scalawag posted Ubi Soft UK's official statement on the long-delayed F1 Racing Championship patch, which suggested the delay was due to further work rather than FIA approval. ymenard and others said this proved the FIA excuse false, while David G Fisher argued the patch had gone to the FIA and was then revised, leading to an insult-laden exchange. The thread then turned to arguments over Montoya, Ralf and Michael Schumacher.
• Fears Fox will turn Speedvision into a NASCAR channel 2001-06-26 · 119 posts
  Jan Kohl posted a letter protesting a reported Fox and NASCAR plan to convert Speedvision into a NASCAR channel. Most feared losing F1, ALMS, rally and other road racing coverage and threatened to cancel subscriptions, while Eddie Pettit argued owners can do as they please and opposed boycotts. The thread descended into political arguments about capitalism and Africa.
• Boring modern F1 and the F1 Racing Championship argument 2001-07-01 · 64 posts
  Posters complained that the French GP was dull and argued that modern F1 makes poor sim material, with many wishing for a 1970s F1, CART or GPL-style sequel instead. The thread turned into an argument with David G Fisher over F1 Racing Championship, its AI and the lack of a patch, with others mocking him as a beta tester. Some posters reminisced about the old Pitstop games.
• Unofficial AI patch for F1 Racing Championship 2001-07-07 · 40 posts
  An Italian unofficial AI and performance patch for F1 Racing Championship was announced and posters struggled to translate its readme; one claimed the menu art was a joke. The thread became another argument over whether F1RC's AI or the players were to blame for first-corner crashes. David G Fisher and Iain Mackenzie defended the AI against several critics, and the exchange turned personal.
• Argument over F1RC's AI and Ubisoft support 2001-07-12 · 67 posts
  A fan urged everyone to try F1 Racing Championship for its tracks and handling. The thread became a heated argument over its AI, with Iain Mackenzie and David G Fisher offering replays to show the AI racing cleanly and others insisting it punts players. Fisher accused GPL regulars of bias, and later posters criticised Ubisoft's support for the game.
• GPL fans accused of comparing everything to GPL 2001-07-13 · 31 posts
  Brian Bowles argued that GPL is the best sim but others should be free to prefer other games. redTed complained that some regulars bring GPL into every discussion, and Gerry Aitken responded with insults. The exchange turned into a personal spat involving redTed's refusal to buy Ubisoft products.
• Will WSC be optimised for Pentium 4 over Athlon? 2001-07-20 · 32 posts
  Olly Greenfield asked whether World Sports Cars was being optimised for the Pentium 4. Eric Cote said it supports SSE and is enhanced for SSE2, blaming AMD for not supplying developers with chips. The thread degenerated into an insulting AMD versus Intel argument between Charlie Buscher and 'Bill and Ben'.
• Which racing game has the best graphics? 2001-07-23 · 37 posts
  A poster asked which racing game looks best. Nominations included F1 Racing Championship, Colin McRae Rally 2, Mobil 1 Rally Championship, NASCAR Racing 4, Superbike 2001 and Gran Turismo 3. The thread later turned into a personal feud between David G Fisher and Thom J over Fisher's beta-testing claims.
• Grand Prix 3 versus F1 Racing Championship 2001-07-24 · 66 posts
  A GP3 player asked whether F1 Racing Championship is a step up. After buying it he praised the GPS-mapped tracks but found its tyre behaviour less progressive than GP3's. The thread degenerated into a bitter exchange between David G Fisher, Thom J and ymenard over his beta-testing claims, with Iain Mackenzie supporting Fisher.
• Joke picture of a pet under the brake pedal 2001-07-25 · 70 posts
  Hugh posted a picture suggesting a pet as an alternative to a squash ball under the brake pedal, which many found hilarious. ymenard criticised the binary posting, leading to a long and partly personal argument about Usenet etiquette.
• Rumoured poor physics in the Rally Trophy preview 2001-07-26 · 65 posts
  Ed Solheim relayed second-hand claims that the Rally Trophy alpha had disappointing physics like Spirit of Speed 1937. Bugbear's Ilari Lehtinen challenged the source, and previewers including Simracing.dk and Jacob Butner said they liked the handling, so Solheim apologised. David G Fisher then attacked GPL fans as biased, sparking a heated exchange.
• Michael Schumacher's views on racing sims and F1 2001-08-15 · 136 posts
  David G Fisher posted an interview in which Michael Schumacher said racing games do not teach real driving and defended driver skill in modern F1. Some agreed sims cannot replicate real feel, while others said GPL helped them in karting. The 136-post thread spiralled into arguments over whether Schumacher had a privileged upbringing, Ralf Schumacher versus Montoya, and sniping at Fisher.
• Racer's Brno track, derailed by a DGF spat 2001-08-19 · 42 posts
  Pat Dotson praised Racer with the Porsche GT3 on the Brno track. David G Fisher replied 'You're an ass', which he later said was copied from Dotson's own post in another thread. The resulting row of insults drowned out the Racer discussion.
• Demand that the West brothers show WSC progress 2001-08-22 · 64 posts
  A poster demanded the West brothers give real news on World Sports Cars or admit problems. Many replied that the developers owe nothing and that the community created the hype, while sceptics said the Wests' own promises justified frustration. Carol Bekker said she had driven demos at trade shows, and the thread ended in petty insults over typos.
• Alleged victim confronts banned NASCAR Racing 4 driver 2001-08-26 · 55 posts
  A poster named Justin, who said he was the driver hit in the incident, claimed the banned B. Hilton had tried to wreck him several times and deserved the ban. Hilton denied it, questioned whether Justin was real, and claimed Papyrus had been reported to the Better Business Bureau, while regulars mocked him. Side discussions covered whether the NR4 EULA and WON access were part of the purchase, and scheduling of a GPL league race.
• Argument that Papyrus's NR4 banning system cannot work 2001-08-27 · 47 posts
  Randall Johnson described a computer freeze causing a crash in a league race and argued that such incidents could get innocent drivers banned under Papyrus's NASCAR Racing 4 system. B. Hilton jumped in and mistakenly insulted Thom j., after which the thread degenerated into mockery and killfiling of Hilton. A useful aside explained that NR4 lets disconnected drivers rejoin a race from the pits.
• Favourite racing sims list sparks F1RC flame war 2001-09-08 · 35 posts
  A new wheel owner asked for favourite racing sims, and replies recommended GPL, NASCAR Racing 4, GP3 2000, F1RC, F1 Championship Season 2000, Rally Championship, NASCAR Heat, Sports Car GT and others. A claim that F1 Racing Championship had faded out provoked David G Fisher, who cited F1RC Relay sign-ups, and the exchange with ymenard and Thom j. degenerated into insults and a challenge to meet in person.
• Self-described EA tester trashes F1 2001 PC 2001-10-15 · 68 posts
  A poster called fluffypony, claiming to be an EA tester who had worked on the PS2 version, declared the PC F1 2001 a very poor game. Most dismissed him as a troll, defended the game, and mocked him after finding his personal website, though a friend vouched that he did work for EA. Others explained the PC and PS2 versions came from different teams, with the PS2 version by Studio Liverpool.
• Tom Pabst's 'timing bug' post sparks hotlapper flame war 2001-11-01 · 158 posts
  Tom Pabst reported a real-time versus physics-clock bug in the Rally Trophy demo and claimed a similar bug was being exploited by GPL's 'alien' hotlappers, whom he also called poor, crash-prone racers. Top GPL drivers and their friends reacted furiously, with personal abuse, challenges and threats to boycott BRD hardware, which Pabst was associated with; he later said the GPL claim was a deliberate troll. The long thread then turned into a debate over talent versus practice and whether obsessive hotlapping is healthy.
• Demands that Tom Pabst prove GPL cheating claims 2001-11-04 · 35 posts
  Douglas Ellison demanded that Tom Pabst and Mark Beckman prove their claims that top GPL drivers cheat. Pabst said his post had been an obvious joke, which many did not believe, and former TEN members and others attacked his driving and credibility, with mentions of complaints to BRD. The thread drifted into arguments over whether hotlappers are good racers, whether 'it's just a game', and jokes about living in the Matrix.
• 'GPL2 confirmed' post based on unnamed source 2001-11-13 · 66 posts
  Andre Warringa linked a Legends Central post claiming an unnamed insider had confirmed that Papyrus was making a GPL2, though the year was unknown. Most treated it as rumour and joked about whether GPL2 or WSC would appear first. The thread then turned into a bitter exchange between David G Fisher and Andre Warringa and ymenard over an earlier dispute about Jackie Stewart's views on GPL.
• Tom Pabst returns with lawyer talk and gets mocked 2001-11-14 · 58 posts
  Tom Pabst posted a long off-topic message about his absence, food poisoning, his views on hotlappers and his intention to involve a lawyer over complaints sent to BRD. The replies were largely hostile and mocking, with Gavel and others attacking his record on TEN. The thread drifted into jokes about American litigation and the McDonald's coffee case.
• Argument over asking about N64 racing games on r.a.s. 2001-11-20 · 43 posts
  Andrew asked for the best Nintendo 64 racing games and was told he was in the wrong place, sparking an argument with ymenard over whether the group's platform-neutral charter covers arcade console racers. Insults flew between Andrew, ymenard and SimRacer, though Alex Cameron suggested F1 World Grand Prix and Moogman recommended World Driver Championship. The thread cooled into nostalgia for 8-bit racers and Monty Python.
• The Pits teases GPL-to-N4 track and converter row 2001-11-23 · 20 posts
  Posters noticed The Pits teasing a converted N4 track, which turned out to be Mont-Tremblant, and Dave Henrie said the Bullrun fantasy track would not come to N4 after a final charity race. Douglas Ellison accused David Noonan of breaching community standards by charging for his GPL-to-N4 converter, prompting sharp rebuttals from The Pits' Jan Kohl and Goy Larsen, who said GPLEA as a group had not objected to conversions.
• Sim quality praise spirals into US foreign-policy flame war 2001-12-02 · 166 posts
  Simon Brown argued that sim racers had never had it so good, crediting GPL with raising physics standards across other sims such as NASCAR 4. Others disputed NASCAR 4's physics, track accuracy and damage model. A jibe about Deer Hunter sales and Americans then turned the thread into a long, heated argument about American culture, foreign policy and the war in Afghanistan, which had nothing to do with sims.
• Joke 'Segway Legends' post sparks Segway debate 2001-12-03 · 72 posts
  Andrew joked about a 'Segway Legends' sim on the day the Segway scooter was unveiled. The thread became a long argument about whether the $3,000 device was useful or an overpriced toy, with critics citing cost, battery life, legality on sidewalks and health, and defenders citing older and disabled users. Andrew's 'troll' accusations against critics led to personal sniping.
• Complaint about GPL's feedback sparks troll accusations 2001-12-10 · 48 posts
  Mark Jeangerard complained that GPL gave him too little feedback on braking, apex distance and steering angle to avoid mistakes. Some called it trolling, while Jan Verschueren explained that GPL's moving viewpoint genuinely troubles him. David G Fisher listed his criticisms of GPL and Jens Kruuse rebutted them, and the thread revived in January as Alan Bernardo and ymenard traded accusations about anti-GPL trolling.
• Is WSC vaporware? Info blackout frustrates fans 2001-12-10 · 53 posts
  Cyril Ma asked whether the West brothers' World Sports Cars was vaporware. Jan Verschueren insisted the developers owed nobody anything and that an information stop was in effect, while Andre Warringa and others wished for status updates. The thread devolved into arguments, including David G Fisher mocking Jan's word 'bagatellise' and a spat between Fisher and EldredP.
• NR2002 value debate and paying for online racing services 2001-12-30 · 43 posts
  Marc Collins listed what the NR2002 demo lacked, prompting debate over whether an enhanced NASCAR 4 was worth around $50. The discussion moved to online racing, comparing the old paid NROS/TEN service with WON matchmaking and OnlineRacing.net, and whether a monthly fee would weed out wreckers. A side argument over David G Fisher calling NASCAR boring turned into personal insults with EldredP.
• F1 2001 for-sale post sparks insults 2002-01-04 · 22 posts
  Joel Willstein offered his copy of F1 2001 for sale. EldredP suggested returning it to the store, David G Fisher called that dishonest, and the thread descended into insults between Fisher and Rob Adams, mixed with jokes about the F1 2002 typo.
• Niki Lauda's Jaguar test and whether modern F1 cars are easy 2002-01-13 · 23 posts
  David G Fisher linked an article about Niki Lauda struggling in a Jaguar F1 test, challenging the common claim that modern F1 cars are easy to drive. ymenard dismissed it as bait, and the two traded insults. Others offered more measured views, such as modern cars being easy near the limit but hard at it, and noted Lauda found the car more progressive than those of his era.
• Papa Doc's Voodoo5 vs GeForce3 benchmarks spark long argument 2002-01-14 · 311 posts
  Pierre "Papa Doc" Legrand published benchmarks comparing a Voodoo5 and a GeForce3 in Ghost Recon, NASCAR 4, Quake 3 and flight sims, finding the Voodoo5 competitive with 4x FSAA. Many disputed his methodology, including running 3DMark without hardware T&L, and argued the GeForce3 was better in every way. The thread ran to over 300 posts and degenerated into insults, ending up on multi-monitor and LCD resolution arguments.
• New PC, CART Precision Racing praise and David G Fisher spat 2002-01-19 · 47 posts
  Mark Jeangerard described a new PC build and praised CART Precision Racing and other non-GPL sims. David G Fisher complained he had taken years of criticism for saying the same thing, which led to personal sniping with Pat Dotson and others. Opinions on CPR remained mixed, with some praising its sense of speed and others criticising its AI and controller feel.
• EA's Australian V8 Challenge screenshots and multiplayer debate 2002-01-22 · 44 posts
  Screenshots of EA's upcoming Australian V8 Supercars game, based on the STCC2 engine, prompted complaints about missing cockpit shots and doubts about its multiplayer. The thread became a debate over why only Papyrus and Monster Games offered full-field online racing, with David G Fisher blaming F1 licensing and low demand, and ymenard calling the FIA explanation an urban legend. Kendt Eklund credited Papyrus's early client/server design, and the argument turned personal at times.
• Does the FIA really block online play in F1 sims? 2002-01-24 · 48 posts
  Rob Adams asked for evidence that the FIA prevents proper internet multiplayer in F1 games. Ian Bell said he had heard the online licence would cost around $5 million on top of the standard licence, and Schumi of Relay Games explained that F1 Relay was legal, tolerated by Ubisoft, and had nearly got official support before a licensing crackdown. The thread mixed this insight with insults between David G Fisher and Gerry Aitken.
• Rally Trophy ranking site dispute with Relay Games 2002-02-06 · 22 posts
  Mikkel Gram-Hansen reported that the RTRank Rally Trophy ranking project was shutting down. A bitter exchange followed between Schumi of Relay Games, Jens Kruuse and Uwe Schuerkamp, and RTRank creator David L. Cook briefly redirected the rtrank.com domain to Relay's ranking and posted mailing list messages. He later apologised and restored the domain, and Uwe said RTRank would continue.
• Off-topic patriotic link sparks political flame war 2002-02-08 · 182 posts
  Todd Wasson shared a patriotic post-September 11 tribute page, and the thread erupted into a 182-post political argument over US foreign policy, the war in Afghanistan, military spending and domestic dissent. Exchanges grew personal, with insults between posters, before drifting into history and old naval war games.
• Defence of Tom Pabst sparks name-dropping row 2002-02-20 · 56 posts
  Mac defended Tom Pabst and Pabst Racing against critics he called boneheads. Gavel, Gerry Aitken, Jens Kruuse and others replied that Pabst habitually name-drops and overstates his role in sim racing history, with crude insults exchanged. The thread later drifted into nostalgia about the old poster Y2Rick and Monty Python.
• Tom Pabst to test Schumacher's 1996 Ferrari F1 car 2002-02-22 · 72 posts
  Tom Pabst said he had sat in a 1996 Ferrari F1 car used by Irvine and Schumacher, which his company would build a simulator for, and asked about its history. Some shared photo galleries and chassis history tips, while Ed Solheim and Douglas Ellison called the post off-topic bragging, reviving old grudges over Pabst's past posts. Others defended him and asked to hear more about the project.
• NR2002 complaints: wall-riding penalty and missing save race 2002-02-22 · 36 posts
  Plowboy complained that NR2002 still had NASCAR 4's wall-riding penalty, no save-race feature, and unhelpful Darrell Waltrip training videos. Others agreed the abrupt wall penalty causes pile-ups and ruins tracks like Darlington, and suggested tyre or aero damage instead. A claim that GPL drivers are a higher class than NASCAR racers set off a brief flame exchange.
• NR2002 cockpit sounds in roof view sparks view debate 2002-02-24 · 117 posts
  Schooner asked for a mod to use NR2002's cockpit engine sounds in roof view, and a sound pack was found on a fan site. The 117-post thread became a heated debate over cockpit versus roof camera, covering realism, peripheral vision, league rules forcing cockpit view and ways to bypass them. It degenerated into insults and FPS-game banter.
• Cockpit view versus roof cam: what counts as simulation? 2002-02-25 · 124 posts
  Tom Pabst argued that driving from a roof cam is watching rather than driving, so a sim should be driven from the cockpit. Others countered that monitors lack peripheral vision, that the NR2002 eye point is too low, or that some players get disoriented. The 124-post debate covered head tracking, league rules forcing cockpit view, and a plan for a newsgroup NR2002 race, and later turned into insults between Gerry Aitken and Tim Miser.
• Tom Pabst's 6/10 rule on sims and real racers 2002-02-26 · 84 posts
  Tom Pabst described his company's "6/10 rule" from observing real racing drivers in their simulators, claiming that experienced racers' brains fill in missing sensations. Critics accused him of name-dropping and asked why non-racers are often faster in sims. The thread spun off into a heated argument over whether force feedback or a plain centring spring is more realistic, and whether sim racers get motion sickness or sweat from real exertion.
• Is NASCAR Racing 4 fun? Ovals versus F1 debate 2002-03-08 · 61 posts
  Robert Upward said he was giving up on NASCAR Racing 4 because it was not fun, and others suggested trying the NR2002 demo or preferring certain tracks. The thread turned into a long argument over NASCAR versus F1 as spectacles, with David G Fisher citing F1's claimed 350 million viewers per race and others challenging those figures as inflated. Some exchanges became personal, notably from Gerry Aitken.
• Mod wishes for F1 2001 spark console-versus-PC spat 2002-03-11 · 49 posts
  Heckler asked for touring-car, V8 and other mods for EA's F1 2001, and others pointed to existing DTM and Aussie V8 projects and to NASCAR Heat mods. When he admitted not knowing what ICR2 was and defended console racers, several regulars mocked him, and the exchange turned into name-calling with Edward C. Side topics included rumoured F1 licensing costs that limit online play and EA reversing a plan to shut down Need for Speed Porsche servers.
• Why does Papyrus encrypt NASCAR graphics files? 2002-04-04 · 51 posts
  Tom Pabst asked why Papyrus encrypts its NASCAR sims' mip files, making graphics modifications hard. Explanations included protecting sales of new versions, licensing terms and the EULA. Wayne Bradley accused Pabst of having planned to commercialise Papyrus code years earlier, which reopened an old dispute, and Pabst gave his version of events and demanded an apology.
• Sierra asks about good games; fans plead for GPL2 2002-05-04 · 20 posts
  Neil Canning urged readers to tell Sierra, which was polling its forum users, that they wanted GPL2 or a sports-car sim rather than another NASCAR title. Opinions differed on whether Papyrus should release more titles per year, and the exchange briefly descended into profane insults. Steve Smith pointed out that the poll concerned console video games.
• RASCAR car numbering dispute drives a racer away 2002-05-11 · 24 posts
  John Simmons criticised Biz for quitting the RASCAR group rather than making his car's paint number match the car file, which the spotter uses. Biz said the 'RASCAR police' had sucked the fun out of a casual event, and others backed the requirement as necessary for identifying cars. An outsider called Simmons a bully, leading to an exchange of personal insults before Ed Solheim asked everyone to stop.
• NASCAR 2002 Daytona lap times by time of day 2002-05-16 · 37 posts
  Don Wilshe asked why Daytona night and cloudy laps were slower than day laps in NASCAR Racing 2002. Chad Rogers explained that night races are run with July temperatures, and temperature dominates. The thread turned into a hostile exchange where Wilshe accused Papyrus beta testers of bias, and John Simmons, Mitch_A and others insulted him and questioned his credentials.
• GTA3 PC port impressions and console design gripes 2002-05-23 · 186 posts
  Destroy reviewed the PC release of Grand Theft Auto III, and others discussed analog controller support, mission saves and difficult missions. Eep2 complained about console-style elements in PC ports, which drew a long and increasingly abusive argument with name-calling and killfile announcements across many cross-posted messages.
• F1 2002 online play and a GPL hotlapper feud 2002-06-07 · 62 posts
  A question about F1 2002 multiplayer led to reports that it worked only with fast hosts and broadband clients, and to tips on host settings. GPL driver David Powell dismissed F1 2002 as easy and called David G Fisher a 'mullet', then traded abuse with 'Morgan Boof', whom he identified and mocked on a web page. Others debated whether online play matters to sales.
• VIA, AMD and chipset rumours spark hardware flame war 2002-06-11 · 149 posts
  John Metcow posted a rumour that VIA had considered buying AMD and that Nvidia might buy Transmeta, which others identified as an old or joke story. The cross-posted thread became a long argument about VIA, SiS and AMD chipsets, with abusive posts from an anonymous poster and later trolling.
• RASCAR Michigan crash recriminations 2002-06-16 · 54 posts
  John Simmons complained he was punted from the top five on the last lap at Michigan, and Steve K. apologised for the contact while defending his aggression. Debate followed on passing etiquette and paybacks. Outsiders posted insults, Simmons answered with a slur, and the group discussed moving towards an invite list.
• Douglas Ellison challenges Tom Pabst over legal threat 2002-06-18 · 68 posts
  Douglas Ellison publicly asked Tom Pabst about his November 2001 threat of legal action over complaints sent to wheel maker BRD. Pabst said BRD's lawyer had dropped it and killfiled Ellison and David Powell, while Ellison quoted private BRD emails to accuse him of lying. Others mocked or deplored the feud, and the thread drifted into the McDonald's hot coffee lawsuit.
• WSC vapourware sceptics challenged ahead of West announcement 2002-07-10 · 34 posts
  Douglas Ellison named people who had called WSC vapourware, expecting them to back-pedal. Sceptics replied that nothing had shipped and the Wests had cancelled projects before, and redTed exchanged insults with Gerry Aitken. Jokes followed about space sims and the site's 404 car.
• Nigel Nichols' Racing Legends hoax joke sparks row 2002-07-13 · 75 posts
  Pedal maker Nigel Nichols posted a mock announcement that the West brothers had sponsorship from the 'Hoax Corporation' and would ship an empty demo CD case. Jan Verschueren and Dan Leach called it offensive trolling, while Goy Larsen, redTed and others found it funny and defended Nichols. The thread turned into personal sniping about who was trolling whom.
• Driving Sears Point backwards to learn the track 2002-07-16 · 54 posts
  Tom Pabst suggested learning Sears Point in NASCAR Racing 2002 by driving it backwards in testing to understand elevation changes, likening it to real drivers' track walks. David Powell, citing his GPL speed, called it pointless and insulted Pabst, and an increasingly personal feud with George Sandman followed over lap times in F1 2002 and GPL.
• NASCAR Racing 2002 exits when logging on to Sierra 2002-07-16 · 20 posts
  A user's NASCAR Racing 2002 quit whenever he logged on to the Sierra server. Rob suggested checking for a no-CD patch, the latest patch and connecting first, but redTed's sarcasm triggered a flame exchange with Eldred and Edward C that drowned out the question.
• Backwards-driving argument turns into vocabulary flame war 2002-07-24 · 71 posts
  Continuing the dispute over Tom Pabst's tip of driving Sears Point backwards, David Powell offered a painter's brush analogy and then baited critics with deliberately pompous language. Wayne Bradley, Alan Bernardo and Uncle Fester exchanged insults with him, while Pabst and others briefly debated the substance.
• George Sandman and David Powell feud over GPL speed 2002-08-03 · 109 posts
  The dispute between former top sim racer George Sandman and David Powell escalated into a long exchange of insults about who was faster in GPL and F1 2002, hotlapping versus racing, and challenges to race on VROC. Many posters sided with Sandman and called Powell arrogant. Late in August the thread drifted into members announcing breaks from sim racing.
• Troll attacks Eldred over posting and lap times 2002-08-04 · 30 posts
  A newcomer mocked Eldred for posting while supposedly on vacation and for slow lap times. Regulars rallied to Eldred, who said he had only paused RASCAR hosting, and the thread drifted into Bob Dylan jokes.
• Michael Schumacher fans versus haters argument 2002-08-10 · 28 posts
  Discussion of a BBC article and an old clip of Schumacher complaining about Damon Hill's blocking turned into an argument between Gerry Aitken and Ronald Stoehr over Schumacher 'fanboys' and 'hateboys'. Posters also discussed whether blocking is ever penalised in racing.
• Racer v0.5.0 beta 5 released and its physics debated 2002-08-10 · 66 posts
  After Ruud van Gaal released Racer v0.5.0 beta 5, Ashley McConnell praised it while Kevin Webb called the default car's physics poor and struggled with his TSW wheel. Regulars defended the free one-man project's Pacejka tyre model and suggested better cars and a camber bug workaround. Van Gaal explained the network connection attempts came from its client/server design.
• Tom Pabst criticises RASCAR driving standards 2002-08-11 · 110 posts
  Asked to upload his car, Tom Pabst said he would not race RASCAR again unless it became invitation-only, arguing many drivers could not control their cars at Watkins Glen. Lee Ward, ymenard and others objected that RASCAR is open to all r.a.s. readers, and an extended name-calling exchange with ymenard followed. Eldred later confirmed an invite list for future races.
• Tom Pabst and Wayne Bradley spar over 'Frances' jibe 2002-08-13 · 28 posts
  Tom Pabst teased ymenard about racing only one RASCAR race, and Wayne Bradley called Pabst immature and elitist. Ménard objected to being called 'Frances', and an argument over whether it is a female name followed.
• Massive argument over hotlapping, GPLRank and real technique 2002-08-14 · 203 posts
  Starting as a jibe at Tom Pabst, this 200-post thread became a debate over Eldred's inability to reach a negative GPLRank. David Powell argued speed was mostly psychological and defended fast drivers against the 'hotlapper' label, while John Simmons and Gerry Aitken said aliens exploit unrealistic techniques. Disputes over heel-and-toe technique gave way to a long insult exchange between Powell and ymenard.
• John Simmons' RASCAR driving observations spark spat 2002-08-18 · 32 posts
  John Simmons posted advice for RASCAR drivers on low-line passing and caution behaviour, which many found helpful. redTed called him arrogant and a feud followed. Eldred discussed why he remained about a second off the pace, and others offered suggestions on lines and practice.
• Rumour that Live for Speed is a secret Racing Legends test 2002-08-18 · 46 posts
  Damien Smith reported a rumour that Live for Speed was an early test of Racing Legends. Douglas Ellison and others said it was false and that LFS was made by former Black and White developers. The thread became another redTed versus Ellison argument over Racing Legends' pricing and credibility.
• Tom Pabst's mock review of Live for Speed 2002-08-20 · 101 posts
  Tom Pabst posted a tongue-in-cheek complaint that Live for Speed was junk after playing it for four and a half hours by keyboard, which many took seriously. David Powell discussed missing split-axis pedal support, and an exchange of insults with ymenard took over much of the thread.
• ymenard accuses David Powell of impersonation on VROC 2002-08-21 · 57 posts
  ymenard posted a chat log accusing David Powell of impersonating him on VROC. Douglas Ellison said it was harmless mockery, and the thread became an exchange of taunts between Powell and ymenard, with Jan Verschueren joining in.
• RASCAR Bristol race recap 2002-08-24 · 57 posts
  Grubbat sarcastically praised a 'no yellows' RASCAR Bristol race that actually had 22 cautions, won by Ginger. Drivers debated whether warp or impatience caused the incidents, and Mitch Alatorre and John Simmons exchanged heated insults before Eldred intervened by email.
• Thrustmaster announces new Ferrari F1 wheel 2002-09-04 · 38 posts
  David G Fisher linked Thrustmaster's announcement of a new Ferrari replica wheel due in October. Steve Smith and others criticised the look of the bundled pedals, which led to an abusive exchange between Gerry Aitken and Fisher. Later posts noted Thrustmaster might not import it to the US, and GTX_SlotCar shared a fix for stiff pedal springs on the older Ferrari wheel.
• Console versus PC gaming argument 2002-09-27 · 189 posts
  Joe M. argued that higher console game prices explained why publishers were abandoning niche PC genres such as sims. The cross-posted thread grew into a long argument, with Charles Doane insisting PC gaming was a hassle not worth it and others insulting him and defending the PC's flexibility. Later posts turned to Xbox purchase advice and progressive-scan DVD players.
• Need for Speed Hot Pursuit 2 PC demo impressions 2002-10-15 · 66 posts
  Players criticised the PC demo of Need for Speed Hot Pursuit 2 for invisible walls, arcade handling, odd camera behaviour and no cockpit view, with some reporting very low frame rates. Joe62 and others said the PC version was a sloppy port compared with Black Box's PS2 version. The cross-posted thread degenerated into insults and acronym jokes.
• Gerry Aitken gloats about David Fisher leaving r.a.s.f1 2002-10-24 · 24 posts
  Gerry Aitken announced that David G Fisher had been flamed out of the rec.autos.sport.f1 group and taunted him. Fisher criticised that group's posters, Aitken continued mocking him, and others asked him to keep the feud out of RAS. The thread ended with references to Derek Smart flame wars.
• Troll argues NFS Hot Pursuit 2 is a sim 2002-10-26 · 78 posts
  In a cross-posted thread, a poster known as Eep insisted that Need for Speed Hot Pursuit 2 was a racing simulation because it modelled some physics. RAS regulars argued that arcade and sim were distinct categories and that the game's physics were unrealistic, and the exchange became insulting. Goy Larsen and others urged people to stop feeding the troll.
• Plea not to pirate Live For Speed becomes politics debate 2002-10-31 · 104 posts
  Phoenix Knight urged people not to pirate Live For Speed to support its small team, but implied pirating big-company games was acceptable, drawing heavy criticism. The thread then turned into a long off-topic argument about wealth redistribution, Bill Gates, capitalism and socialism, led by Ruud Dingemans against Todd Walker, Dave Casey and EldredP.
• TSW wheel or force feedback for Papyrus sims? 2002-10-31 · 56 posts
  A NASCAR Pro Digital owner asked whether to upgrade to a TSW or a force feedback wheel. Opinions split on whether Papyrus FF in GPL and NR2002 helped, and Damien Smith's dismissive remarks about Papyrus FF and the group's 'brainwashed sheep' led to an insult exchange with Dan Leach. The original poster chose the TSW.
• Tony Stewart wins 2002 Winston Cup; spoiler row 2002-11-17 · 31 posts
  Tom Pabst posted the news of Tony Stewart's 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup title in his subject line, setting off a long argument about spoilers. Marc Collins and others said results should be marked for people who tape races, while AlwaysRight and ymenard said anyone avoiding results should stay out of a motorsport newsgroup. Several posts insulted Pabst personally.
• Geography survey sparks huge off-topic politics thread 2002-11-20 · 389 posts
  David G Fisher posted a CNN survey on Americans' poor geography knowledge, with a jab at George Bush. The thread grew to nearly 400 posts of US politics, Clinton, Iraq, the electoral college, Israel and socialism, with frequent insults. Ashley McConnell and others eventually pleaded for it to end.
• Should Gran Turismo come to the PC? 2002-12-11 · 31 posts
  A poster argued that Gran Turismo deserved a PC version and dismissed existing PC sims in rambling posts. Others explained that GT sells PlayStations for Sony and defended GPL, NR2002 and GTR2002, and the poster was widely treated as a troll and insulted. Side debates covered Falcon 4 versus IL-2 and GT3 versus Ferrari F355.
• A GPL fan's first impressions of F1 2002 and GTR2002 2002-12-30 · 92 posts
  Malc posted a review of F1 2002 and the GTR2002 mod from a GPL driver's point of view. David G Fisher attacked him for GPL elitism, and others called Fisher a jerk and a bigot. The rest of the thread praised Doug Arnao's setups and physics, discussed tips, the Road Atlanta track and RC2000, and compared GTR's interiors with GPL's.
• Sierra deletes anti-Japanese car decal; free speech row 2003-01-12 · 68 posts
  John Simmons complained that Sierra deleted his NR2002 'JAP CARS' decal post. Most posters said Sierra had every right to remove a racial slur and that free speech does not oblige a forum to publish anything, and he defended it as patriotism against Toyota joining NASCAR. The argument became heated, with insults on both sides.
• Debate over Toyota entering NASCAR and anti-Japanese decal 2003-01-13 · 148 posts
  Dave Henrie started a follow-up to the row over John Simmons' anti-Japanese car decal, arguing that NASCAR should welcome foreign manufacturers. MadDAWG and some others sided with Simmons in not wanting Toyota in NASCAR, while Doug Ellison called that racist and disparaged NASCAR fans, prompting John Pancoast to accuse him of stereotyping. Side discussions covered US-built Toyotas, Australian V8 Supercars skins for NR2002 and dirt track racing.
• FIA announces sweeping F1 rule changes for 2003 2003-01-15 · 40 posts
  A poster relayed Autosport's report of FIA cost-cutting plans, including impounding cars between qualifying and race, banning driver aids, and limiting radio communication. Most welcomed the changes. Jokes about Barrichello's role at Ferrari led David G Fisher to accuse the group of bashing Michael Schumacher, and Fisher and Gerry Aitken exchanged crude insults.
• Would a Microsoft purchase of Vivendi help Papyrus? 2003-01-25 · 176 posts
  Following reports that Microsoft might buy Vivendi Universal's games division, including Sierra and Papyrus, posters debated whether this would be good for racing sims. Some cited Flight Simulator as evidence Microsoft can back niche sims, while others pointed to CART Precision Racing and feared Papyrus would be swallowed or steered towards Xbox. The thread became heated, with David G Fisher and GPL fans trading insults over the quality of GPL drivers, before drifting into Mac, Linux and mail server talk.
• John Simmons responds angrily to RASCAR complaints 2003-02-12 · 62 posts
  RASCAR organiser John Simmons replied to complaints about league posts by saying he would post what he wanted on RAS and others could filter. Schooner and others objected to his tone, while Jan Verschueren and others defended him. The thread became a heated exchange of insults about league posts, Usenet etiquette and web forums.
• RASCAR dispute turns into insult exchange 2003-02-13 · 45 posts
  GMpartsguy argued that RAS traffic was normal and the RASCAR complaints were overblown, which drew grumbles about reviving the argument and a side chat about newsreaders. Gerry Aitken and redTed then traded escalating insults, some computer-generated, over whether redTed had opposed RASCAR posts.
• EA's F1 Career Challenge announced 2003-02-19 · 41 posts
  Jason Moyer asked whether EA's new F1 sim using its 1999 to 2002 licences was a new ISI product. It turned out to be F1 Career Challenge, planned for consoles and PC in April 2003, with ISI handling the PC version. Douglas Ellison mocked ISI's engine, leading to an insult exchange with Joe Saxon and others, including a side argument over the Racing Legends project.
• Driver claims he was dropped from a league for religion 2003-03-02 · 108 posts
  Paul Yuknis said he had been dropped from the RSR Pro Cup NR2003 league without explanation and suspected his Christian-themed car paint was the reason, framing it as a constitutional issue. Most replied that a private league can choose its members and that the First Amendment restricts only government, though some agreed he deserved an explanation. The long thread became hostile and drifted into religion jokes.
• Do NR2003 driving aids give an unfair advantage? 2003-03-21 · 37 posts
  Don Wilshe questioned whether traction control, stability control and steering assistance really slow drivers in NR2003, as some suspected they helped tyre wear. Kevin King called using aids for advantage cheap, and the thread became a bitter personal feud between King, Don Wilshe and Pete Reston over setups, camber exploits and past cheating accusations.
• RASCAR Bristol race, black flags and warping 2003-03-22 · 70 posts
  RASCAR drivers complained about uncleared black flags, warping and random mechanical failures in the NR2003 Bristol race. John Simmons and Tim explained that many black flags came from passing the pace car before reaching pit road. The thread turned hostile when Pete Reston and Tim White traded accusations about controller potentiometers, cheating and past online conduct.
• Suspicious lap times in an NR2003 league 2003-03-30 · 42 posts
  Pete Reston posted results of a driver running unusually fast laps in a King of the Mountain league race and a chat log of Kevin King's friends discussing low rear weight setups. King, Don Wilshe and Pete argued over setups, aids and double standards, while Bill Bollinger said the times were not unrealistic for the conditions.
• Iraq war political argument 2003-04-01 · 42 posts
  An off-topic thread about US troops in Iraq turned into a long political argument. Posters clashed over civilian deaths, US foreign policy history, oil and weapons of mass destruction, with no racing content.
• Don Wilshe demands beta testers reveal NR2003 exploits 2003-04-01 · 80 posts
  Don Wilshe argued that NR2003 beta testers racing in leagues had an unfair advantage and should disclose known flaws and patch contents. Beta tester Jay Taylor, Kevin King, Joachim Trensz and others rejected this, citing NDAs and saying Don was looking for exploits. The thread degenerated into personal attacks on Don's past conduct.
• POW rescue news sparks Iraq war argument 2003-04-13 · 34 posts
  Dave Henrie shared his pleasure at the rescue of American POWs and at Mario Andretti pushing CART to return to Road America. David G Fisher's attack on President Bush turned the thread into a heated political argument about the Iraq war and news coverage.
• NR2003 forced aids for digital throttle and brake 2003-04-26 · 35 posts
  William Bradshaw, who uses joystick buttons for throttle and brake, objected that NR2003 forces driving aids on for digital controls and suggested simulating an analogue ramp instead. Others recommended analogue axes, a second joystick or a wheel, and Ashley McConnell urged him to go fully analogue. Gerry Aitken mocked him repeatedly and the exchange became hostile.
• John Simmons rants over deleted NASCAR Worldwide joke 2003-04-30 · 83 posts
  John Simmons angrily complained that web forums had removed his joke about a worldwide NASCAR series built on national stereotypes. Some found it funny, others said it simply was not funny, and Gerry Aitken responded with crude jokes about Americans. The thread became an exchange of insults and national stereotyping.
• 2003 Spanish GP: red flag decision and qualifying rules 2003-05-04 · 51 posts
  Posters questioned why the 2003 Spanish Grand Prix was not red-flagged after Raikkonen's crash into Pizzonia on the grid, with others explaining the safety-car rule. The talk moved on to Ferrari's new car, the new one-lap qualifying format and theories about Senna's 1994 Imola crash. An exchange between redTed and m.seery degenerated into personal insults.
• Off-topic political argument over Iraq WMD 2003-06-05 · 54 posts
  David G Fisher posted an article on the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, reviving an earlier political argument. Many objected to politics on the group, while others debated the justification for the war, Saddam's crimes and the reliability of government claims. Some exchanges were civil, but the thread included name-calling and accusations of trolling.
• Newcomer calls NASCAR boring, sparking oval versus F1 row 2003-07-17 · 82 posts
  A British poster declared NASCAR boring after watching his first race, triggering a familiar argument about NASCAR versus Formula One, with defenders citing strategy, passing statistics and track differences. The thread escalated into insults between redTed, John Simmons and Gerry Aitken and a tangent on soccer and American football.
• F1 Challenge frame rates on various hardware 2003-07-18 · 20 posts
  Richard Beckett asked readers to post their hardware and F1 Challenge 99-02 frame rates. A few did, but the thread was dominated by a hostile argument between Aidee and hopHead over whether the original GeForce came in a DDR version, with name-calling on both sides.
• RASCAR Pocono feud between Tim and David G Fisher 2003-07-26 · 151 posts
  After an aggressive three-wide move into turn 1 at Pocono, Tim accused David G Fisher of reckless driving and using traction control and threatened retaliation, and Fisher replied with insults. Others weighed in on restart behaviour, gearing and pedal calibration, and Jan Verschueren posted yellow-flag statistics showing half the race ran under caution. The thread later drifted to grievances over David Fisher's past trolling.
• RASCAR revolt against John Simmons's rule enforcement 2003-08-22 · 225 posts
  Mitch_A launched an attack on John Simmons's handling of RASCAR, accusing him of piling on penalties and rules, and David G Fisher joined him while declaring he would say what he liked. Simmons insisted the racing rules had not changed, only their enforcement, and that he and server host Eldred effectively ran the league, while Jan Verschueren and others backed him and Bruce Kennewell and Peter Ives argued for a democratic approach. The 225-post thread became personal and insulting, with Simmons noting only a couple of the 50-plus members were complaining.
• David Fisher and John Simmons clash over RASCAR practice incident 2003-08-24 · 195 posts
  David G Fisher posted replays claiming John Simmons caused two practice incidents and then threatened to eject him from the server. Several drivers told Fisher he could not admit fault, while Mika Takala reviewed the replays and judged it a racing incident; Simmons said he owned the server and was within his rights. The 195-post thread descended into insults between Mitch_A, McWhom, redTed and others, with only brief humorous interludes.
• John Simmons's public tirade against David Fisher and RASCAR critics 2003-08-24 · 94 posts
  John Simmons posted an angry two-part message attacking David G Fisher and announcing he would ask Eldred to remove him from RASCAR, along with insults aimed at other critics that he later admitted went too far. Outsiders such as Andrew and EGK said the episode had put them off joining the league, while McWhom defended the rules and Cliff Roman, Mitch_A and Peter Ives criticised Simmons's attitude. The thread was dominated by profanity and personal insults.
• Mitch_A relaunches RASCAR with group-decided rules 2003-08-25 · 104 posts
  Mitch_A announced that RASCAR would continue without John Simmons, with rules decided by committee or vote and a minimum standard for drivers. Bruce Kennewell objected to his 'numbskull' wording, Joachim Trensz liked the experience requirement, and Kyle Roberts noted RASCAR was meant for newcomers. Tony Rickard and others questioned the legitimacy of the new leadership, and the thread again descended into insults between Simmons, redTed and Mitch.
• Thanks for a car paint job sparks Simmons-redTed exchange 2003-08-26 · 24 posts
  McWhom publicly thanked John Simmons for a car paint scheme, prompting redTed to tell him to search Simmons's past posts. The exchange became a trade of insults between redTed and Simmons. Goy Larsen and Tony Rickard defused it with Monty Python jokes, and another driver praised Simmons's help.
• Anonymous demand that RASCAR get its own newsgroup 2003-08-26 · 32 posts
  An anonymous poster demanded that RASCAR move its bickering elsewhere, drawing a crude reply from John Simmons and accusations that the poster was replying to himself under another name. Others recommended filters or simply ignoring the threads. The discussion drifted into a debate about the Forte Agent newsreader.
• Outlook Express filtering guide sparks top-posting row 2003-09-13 · 148 posts
  Kevin posted a guide to blocking posts in Outlook Express, mislabelled as blocking 'top posters', and was attacked for double-posting, top-posting and using Outlook Express. Alan Jones, Andrew and others listed his supposed errors at length while some defended him. The thread became a long argument about newsreaders, Frontpage and browsers.
• Kevin defends his mislabelled Outlook Express guide 2003-09-13 · 21 posts
  Kevin started a new thread explaining that his guide was about hiding future-dated posts rather than top-posting. Cliff Roman and Haqsau told others to let it go. Alan Jones continued to insult him as inexperienced, and the two argued over who had been online longer.
• RASCAR weekly update and plans for a points league 2003-10-18 · 218 posts
  Mitch_A's RASCAR update on the Martinsville race and championship battle led John Simmons to outline his idea for a future league with Cup, truck and Trans Am phases, and to again blame the earlier collapse on two disruptive drivers. Mitch_A responded angrily and the old dispute resurfaced, with arguments over blocking and Eldred's role continuing through a 218-post thread. Jan Verschueren and Tony Rickard pleaded for no repeat of the summer's blowout.
• Rehashing whether David Fisher was banned from RASCAR 2003-10-25 · 52 posts
  Eldred revisited the August thread in which John Simmons had said he would ask to have David Fisher removed, and admitted his own failure to intervene had let things spiral. Fisher insisted he had been officially kicked out, while Simmons and others mocked him. Peter Ives and Don Burnette said the rehashing achieved nothing, and the thread ended in Monty Python jokes and philosophising about virtual racing.
• Don Wilshe's sprint car mod sparks feud over VRW 2003-11-22 · 52 posts
  Don Wilshe sought volunteers for a winged sprint car mod for NR2003, and Eldred offered to beta test. TDRacin and TigerRag warned others about Wilshe, citing an incident in the VRW league, while Pete defended him and accused his critics of piling on. The exchange became increasingly personal.
• Are LCD monitors good enough for sim racing 2003-11-25 · 85 posts
  A poster asked whether a 17-inch LCD would suit racing sims. Many said current LCDs with response times of 25ms or less were fine and easier on the eyes, while Damien Smith and others insisted CRTs still showed less motion blur. The argument grew heated and abusive, especially from 'Top-poster'. Larry advised checking backlight warranties and dead-pixel policies.
• Don Wilshe accuses VRW owner of impersonating him online 2003-11-27 · 46 posts
  Don Wilshe accused VRW owner Mark Rinsem of creating a Sierra ID using his name, citing a code-check site. Critics responded that Wilshe himself raced under the IDs of real sprint car drivers to get into VRW, and John Simmons said that was why he had refused Wilshe's RASCAR entry. Pete defended him, saying the drivers were real and too busy to build their own ratings.
• OnlineRacin.com newsletter on spotting NR2003 cheaters 2003-11-29 · 45 posts
  SPEED posted an OnlineRacin.com newsletter about detecting NR2003 cheats, which some saw as self-promotion. OLR's Joe Lomas defended the service's efforts. The thread turned hostile when SPEED implied Ed Solheim and John Simmons were cheaters, drawing angry replies, and league admins discussed handling suspicious disconnects.
• Papyrus website redirects to Vivendi Universal Games 2004-04-09 · 57 posts
  Jorgen Sundvor Smith noticed that papy.com redirected to vugames.com, raising fears that Papyrus had been shut down. The thread descended into an insult-laden argument between Slug and JP over when Sierra bought Papyrus and whether NASCAR revenue made GPL possible. Vivendi said the site was down for technical reasons, Jan Verschueren reported that Papyrus was said to be working on a car physics SDK for consoles, and posters debated the upcoming GPL 1965 mod.
• Which is the best racing sim? NR2003 vs NASCAR Thunder 2004 2004-04-09 · 95 posts
  A newcomer asked which sim was best, and Slug named F1 Challenge, NR2003 and GPL but said he personally preferred NASCAR Thunder 2004. Others called Thunder an arcade game and cited real NASCAR drivers such as Dale Earnhardt Jr and Martin Truex Jr using NR2003. The debate turned into a lengthy, abusive exchange between Slug, Rusty Unger and others.
• Sealed F1 Challenge copy offered for sale 2004-04-29 · 28 posts
  Rich offered an unopened F1 Challenge 99-02 to the highest bidder in the group rather than on eBay. Others questioned the secrecy of the bidding and noted that out-of-print copies sold for high prices on eBay. The thread degenerated into name-calling between Rich, JP and Andrew.
• Argument over women in motor racing 2004-05-17 · 42 posts
  A poster named Melissa said she was racing a Quad 4 car and that there should be more women in racing. Replies ranged from encouragement and examples of women such as Tina Gordon, Patty Moise and Sarah Fisher to suspicions of trolling and dismissive or sexist remarks, with Mitch_A railing against political correctness. Side arguments covered whether Kyle Petty got his ride because of his name and race in motorsport, with several posts turning insulting.
• Second women-in-racing post draws insults 2004-05-28 · 39 posts
  Melissa posted again urging women to race despite men, and the thread quickly turned hostile, with Mitch_A calling her a troll in abusive terms and others making sexist jokes. Some, such as Jan Verschueren and jason moyer, criticised the responses, and a side spat about netiquette followed.
• Was the rain-hit 2004 Indy 500 pathetic? 2004-05-30 · 115 posts
  Mitch_A called the 2004 Indianapolis 500 pathetic, while others thought Buddy Rice's rain-shortened win was a decent race. The long argument covered rookie and backmarker driving standards, why ovals are not raced in the rain amid tornado warnings, short fields as a sign of US open-wheel decline, and F1 versus oval racing. It included a sharp European versus American exchange and abusive posts between Mitch_A and Biz.
• Community GPL 2004 demo released, then posting-style war 2004-05-31 · 73 posts
  A link to the GPL 2004 demo, the original Grand Prix Legends demo rebuilt by fans with patches and XP-friendly graphics updates, was posted. Most of the thread became a hostile, profanity-laden fight between redTed and JP over HTML and top-posting, followed by a long netiquette debate with Andi Cole. The few on-topic replies welcomed easy XP installation, criticised the sound and size, and noted it was still the same GPL physics.
• Troll post calls Ryan Newman a danger 2004-06-07 · 37 posts
  Dubya Woolard claimed Ryan Newman was a danger after a sideways slide onto pit road and should be banned. Others called it a simple mistake and labelled the poster a troll, and he responded with profane abuse and threats, leading to killfiles and mockery.
• NASCAR Heat AI starts and no-CD patch problems 2004-07-11 · 23 posts
  Bruce Kennewell asked whether the AI's huge acceleration at race starts in NASCAR Heat could be tuned, and another user's game would not start after a no-CD patch. Advice was to apply all patches and keep Heat in its default install path. A curt reply from JP escalated into an insult exchange with Kennewell.
• Request for a donated GPL copy draws ridicule 2004-08-11 · 30 posts
  A poster short of money after a divorce asked whether anyone could donate a copy of GPL and a USB wheel. Many replied with sarcasm and insults, telling him to buy it cheaply on eBay, while Mitch_A, J. Todd Wasson and others defended him, noted he had given away his own games and wheel in the past, and offered hardware. Wasson lamented that the group's old helpful spirit had faded.
• Steve Smith accuses Dan Olbuck of copying NR2003 tracks 2004-08-26 · 38 posts
  Steve Smith attacked track maker Dan Olbuck, claiming his NR2003 Lime Rock, Bridgehampton and Riverside were inaccurate and partly built from others' work without credit. Many said he should raise it at The Pits forum where Olbuck posts, Jan Kohl rebutted the claims point by point, and Goy Larsen of The Pits criticised taking it public. The exchange turned personal with insults on several sides.
• Gran Turismo 4 to ship without online play 2004-09-24 · 47 posts
  A cross-posted IGN report said Sony had announced at the Tokyo Game Show that Gran Turismo 4 would launch without online play, with a new B-Spec mode and a December Japanese release. Reactions ranged from shock to indifference, and the thread degenerated into an insult-filled argument between console posters over the value of online gaming, with some notes on LAN play over FireWire.
• Steve Smith's appreciation of GPL's Dundrod track 2004-10-19 · 30 posts
  Steve Smith posted an essay praising Jim Pearson's Dundrod circuit for GPL and its history. Most readers enjoyed it, but JP mocked Smith over the earlier track dispute, leading to an exchange of insults with several posters. Smith later noted the replay lap was much faster than Stirling Moss's 1955 Tourist Trophy time.
• Accidental political post sparks election flame war 2004-10-28 · 51 posts
  Mitch_A accidentally posted a pro-Republican rant about global warming and the Florida hurricanes, drawing furious demands that he leave the group. It escalated into a long, abusive argument about George W. Bush, the Iraq war, Second World War history, terrorism and oil depletion, with posters on both sides of the Atlantic trading insults.
• Troll post praising Bush starts political argument 2004-11-01 · 32 posts
  An anonymous poster declared George W. Bush the best US president and accused Europeans of surrendering to media lies. Most replies mocked the troll, with jokes about GPLRank and the West brothers, but Mitch_A, David G Fisher and others argued at length about terrorism, Iraq and weapons of mass destruction, with some insults.
• Cross-posted anti-American rant sparks election flame war 2004-11-07 · 99 posts
  A cross-posted rant calling Americans stupid for re-electing George W. Bush led to a long, abusive political argument in the group. Posters fought over Bush, Kerry, Iraq, terrorism, gun laws and religion, with David G Fisher, Dave Henrie, Mitch_A and Mark Davison among the main combatants.
• Cross-posted troll leads to homophobic flame war 2004-12-10 · 31 posts
  A cross-posted troll message about a newsgroup moderator prompted Jan Verschueren to complain, and others criticised him for feeding the troll. It degenerated into a vicious exchange in which Byron Forbes made homophobic remarks and Mark Davison and others responded with insults.
• EA's exclusive NFL licence and anger over exclusivity 2004-12-14 · 75 posts
  News that EA had secured an exclusive NFL licence prompted complaints that exclusive deals, as with NASCAR, hurt consumers, and some vowed to boycott EA. Others blamed the leagues for selling exclusivity, and a licensing side discussion followed. The thread then degenerated into a long personal argument between Byron Forbes and Mark Davison about religion, death and Byron's earlier remarks.
• The US Pits shuts down its NR2003 file site and forums 2005-01-02 · 47 posts
  Posters quoted the announcement that The US Pits, a sim racing file and news site that had run for nine years, had deleted its files, archives and forums after tiring of abuse from users, and that it was ending its NR2003 focus. Most replies thanked the site and blamed whiners in the community, though some asked why it had not handed over to volunteers. Goy Larsen of the site said everything had been backed up and that key mods would be posted again. The thread also included personal attacks between several posters.
• Uninstall warning about the GTP mod descends into insults 2005-01-20 · 28 posts
  Buster warned in capital letters that uninstalling the GTP mod wiped the root drive. Several replies mocked him, but after Team Redline confirmed a major install bug, Larry suggested that apologies were due. Others pointed out that the mod had no uninstall routine. The thread then became a personal slanging match between cuk and Bruce Kennewell.
• RASCAR schedule question erupts into wrecking accusations 2005-02-05 · 46 posts
  Larry asked what the RASCAR league was racing that week. A former member then called the league a shadow of itself, which led to accusations of intentional wrecking between Mitch_A and fredrickson. John Simmons and David G Fisher also traded insults about trust on track. Tony Rickard and Jan Verschueren tried to calm things down, and Larry complained that his thread had been hijacked.
• NSR force feedback fixes, then a refresh rate flame war 2005-02-17 · 60 posts
  Users swapped fixes for NASCAR SimRacing problems. Smokin_Bob found that setting a Momo Force to 'joystick' instead of 'wheel' restored force feedback, and Larry found that 4x anti-aliasing destroyed frame rates. A question about running 120fps on a 100Hz monitor turned into a long, abusive argument between Mitch_A, Larry, fredrickson and Smokin_Bob over frame rate versus refresh rate.
• Hans Stuck Nordschleife video sparks a sprawling off-topic thread 2005-03-13 · 361 posts
  A poster shared an in-car video of Hans-Joachim Stuck lapping the Nürburgring in a BMW M3 GTR, which prompted comments on lap times, gearbox noise and how well GTR reproduced it. Posters then discussed BMW's absence from GTR and car licensing. Over several hundred posts the thread degenerated into political arguments and personal abuse aimed at Mitch_A and others.
• Iranian woman racer story turns into political flame war 2005-03-15 · 110 posts
  A poster linked a BBC story about Laleh Seddigh, a female racing driver in Iran. Steve Smith's jokes about extremism and the 'leftist BBC' set off arguments about religion, media bias and politics. Over more than 100 posts the thread became a hostile debate about the Iraq war and US foreign policy.
• Off-topic Iraq casualties post draws political fight 2005-04-02 · 24 posts
  A troll posted about US deaths in Iraq and accused the media of focusing on the Pope. Regulars objected to political posts in the newsgroup. The thread nonetheless became a heated argument about Iraq, Saddam Hussein and US foreign policy, with insults traded.
• Political troll thread about Bush descends into abuse 2005-04-06 · 54 posts
  A troll asked why President Bush went on vacation during wartime. The thread became a long political flame war over Iraq, WMD, the US deficit and the Bush family, with Alex Martini, Plowboy and others exchanging profane insults. Some posters asked for political posts to stay out of the group.
• GT Legends demo leaks early, and StarForce returns 2005-08-16 · 33 posts
  Users shared a back-door link to the GT Legends demo before its official release, then hunted for mirrors after it was pulled. ZZ Busch warned that the demo installed StarForce copy protection. That set off a profane argument between Saltheart_Foamfollower and Praxiteles Democritus about whether StarForce harms PCs, and the demo was later officially available.
• Hoax claim that Racing Legends was cancelled 2005-08-21 · 136 posts
  An anonymous poster claimed the West brothers had cancelled Racing Legends, and long-time critics such as redTed said they had predicted it. Others found no announcement and called it a hoax, and team members Gregor Veble and Todd Wasson flatly denied it. A heated argument followed over whether calling the project a 'scam' was libellous. Wasson argued that community abuse had driven the developers to stop communicating.
• rFactor's formula cars, AI complaints and a downforce spat 2005-09-01 · 34 posts
  Uwe Schürkam hailed rFactor's Formula IS car as a worthy successor to GPL. Mitch_A called the AI the worst in years, while others said it was fine in single-class races. A disagreement over whether high-downforce cars can four-wheel drift turned into abusive name-calling between Jason Moyer, Sidney H Bridge and Mitch_A. Tony Rickard defused it with a parody singalong.
• Mitch_A versus David G Fisher over RASCAR and rFactor 2005-09-15 · 51 posts
  Mitch_A complained that RASCAR had rejected his push to switch to GTR earlier in the year but was now moving to rFactor. He accused David G Fisher of changing the rules, and announced his own 'Real RAS-Factor' server. Fisher called his claims lies, Neil Charlton and others said decisions had been made collectively, and the thread became a bitter exchange with political insults. Tony Rickard tried to lighten it with a mock poll.
• Best high-end wheel and pedals: BRD, ECCI, TSW or force feedback 2005-10-03 · 35 posts
  A user tired of short-lived consumer wheels asked for the best wheel available. Owners recommended non-force-feedback boutique wheels from BRD, ECCI and Thomas Super Wheel for durability and feel, while others defended Logitech and Microsoft force feedback wheels; an exchange between Spede and Plowboy turned abusive. Later posts noted a forthcoming expensive BRD force feedback wheel and Interactive Racing's Speed 7, whose analogue paddles Simon Ball confirmed by email could serve as throttle and brake.
• GTR2 announced, sparking Simbin versus rFactor argument 2005-10-08 · 57 posts
  A poster reported that GTR2 was officially in development. Byron Forbes dismissed GTL and GTR2 as inferior to rFactor and repeatedly accused Simbin of lying about GTR's multiplayer, while Chad Rogers, RodP and others defended Simbin's licensed content and offline play. The thread also debated real versus fantasy tracks and whether tracks can be designed specifically for good online racing.
• CREW F1 Seven 1970s mod for F1 Challenge, plus off-topic spat 2005-10-12 · 40 posts
  A poster praised the CREW mod recreating mid-1970s Formula One for EA's F1 Challenge 99-02, a 500MB download including some period tracks. Jason Moyer criticised the mod's non-standard menu structure, drawing rebukes, and the thread then derailed into anti-French jokes, a troll's abuse and an apology from Jeff Reid. A possible rFactor conversion was mentioned.
• GTR tracks converted to rFactor spark legality row 2005-11-10 · 47 posts
  A poster reported that Menu dei Motori had posted GTR tracks converted to rFactor, a topic banned at RSC because Simbin forbade it; the links quickly went dead. Alan Bernardo criticised ISI and Simbin for being restrictive, while others pointed out the conversions were illegal and that track licences prevented sharing. Byron Forbes again attacked Simbin over GTR multiplayer, and the exchanges grew personal.
• The Pits releases 1970 Grand National mod for NR2003 2005-11-19 · 35 posts
  The Pits released its 1970 Grand National mod for NR2003, and users praised it while mirrors were posted after the host's bandwidth ran out. Bruce Kennewell created a full 1970 season file, and some reported frame-rate drops. ymenard called it useless because it used existing truck physics after iRacing blocked custom physics, leading to a heated exchange; Goy Larsen of The Pits clarified the iRacing issue.
• Jan Kohl on GN1970 mod physics, and a heated community debate 2005-11-27 · 47 posts
  Jan Kohl of The Pits explained the physics approach of the Grand National 1970 mod for NR2003, addressing claims it was just reskinned trucks. ymenard insisted modding a dead sim diluted community effort while rFactor needed content, and the exchange with Bruce Kennewell and Kohl became abusive. Others debated whether sims are just games, and later posts discussed rFactor's sparse online servers.
• GTR demo dismissed as arcade, sparking physics debate 2005-12-16 · 53 posts
  graycat called the GTR demo junk after it crashed and would not calibrate his wheel, and declared GPL still the best. Others blamed his new system or 64-bit Windows and the exchange turned to insults. Bob and Jeff Reid then had a substantive debate on whether GTR's cars were too spin-prone compared with GPL, slip angles and the role of force feedback, and some objected to GTR's copy protection.
• Playing GT Legends without the CD under Starforce 2006-02-25 · 29 posts
  A user asked how to run GT Legends without the disc. Replies said its high-level Starforce protection had not been cracked without disabling the drive, prompting comparisons with Steam's online activation and concerns over long-term compatibility, such as GTR not working on 64-bit Windows. The thread ended in insults between Mitch_A and a poster called Peasant.
• Off-topic: Dateline NBC report on NASCAR fans and racism 2006-04-04 · 21 posts
  Mitch warned that Dateline NBC planned undercover filming at a NASCAR race for a report on attitudes to Muslims, calling it media propaganda. KeithB responded angrily, and the thread became a political flame war; Dave Henrie noted NASCAR had formally objected to the planned report.
• Ubisoft drops Starforce, reigniting copy protection feud 2006-04-18 · 37 posts
  A poster shared news that Ubisoft would stop using Starforce copy protection. Mitch argued future schemes would be worse and that most drive problems came from piracy attempts, while others reported genuine issues; the thread degenerated into accusations that a poster was a known troll using aliases and mutual abuse.
• Off-topic political flame war over 9/11 video 2006-05-17 · 38 posts
  A troll claimed a newly released Pentagon 9/11 video was fake, and the thread became a political flame war over Iraq and WMDs, with Mitch A and others trading insults despite requests to keep politics out of RAS.
• Off-topic flame war over the Iraq war 2006-05-27 · 43 posts
  A troll asked whether the US would admit invading Iraq was wrong, and the thread turned into insults and political arguments involving Mitch A, Byron Forbes and others. Several regulars asked for an end to the political posts.
• Off-topic Memorial Day post becomes political flame war 2006-05-28 · 62 posts
  Mitch A's Memorial Day salute to troops, with a jab at liberals, sparked a long political argument about Iraq, patriotism and the media. It descended into insults, including an outburst at Dave Henrie that was later resolved privately.
• Political flame war prompts calls for moderation 2006-06-02 · 47 posts
  A troll posted news of civilian killings by US soldiers, and arguments followed despite pleas to return to sim racing. Mitch A defended replying to off-topic posts in an unmoderated group, falling out with Larry and others; some asked whether RAS could be moderated and ymenard called the group irrelevant.
• Troll announces departure, sparking more political insults 2006-06-20 · 27 posts
  A troll announced leaving RAS, drawing mockery. The thread turned into renewed abusive argument about Iraq WMD reports.
• Off-topic flame thread on Sears Tower plot arrests 2006-06-24 · 20 posts
  A troll's post about arrests over a Sears Tower plot led to political arguments and insults about terrorism, government and homosexuality, with Larry noting it was the wrong newsgroup.
• GTR2 demo announced, with Starforce dropped 2006-07-20 · 37 posts
  A poster announced the GTR2 demo for the coming Friday, and attention immediately turned to copy protection. AutoSimSport reported that Starforce had been dropped from GTR2 in favour of SecuROM, with full release scheduled for 30 September. The thread then descended into abusive exchanges between Starforce critics and defenders.
• Off-topic flame war over Israel and Lebanon 2006-07-21 · 30 posts
  A troll asked why Israel was targeting civilians, leading to a political flame war about Israel, Hezbollah, Bush and the Vietnam war, with personal insults on all sides.
• Tribute to Peter Brock after his death 2006-09-08 · 27 posts
  Tim Epstein paid tribute to Australian touring car legend Peter Brock, his lifelong hero, after his death in a rally accident. Others shared memories, but a dispute over whether sportsmen can be heroes turned abusive.
• Off-topic: Windows Vista licence transfer limits 2006-10-13 · 93 posts
  A link to criticism of the Windows Vista EULA prompted debate over whether it limited licence transfers more than XP. Users discussed reactivation after hardware changes, with Mitch_A defending Microsoft and Garrot attacking him; the thread became heavily abusive.
• Off-topic flame thread on Rumsfeld's resignation 2006-11-08 · 30 posts
  A troll mocked Mitch_A over Donald Rumsfeld's resignation, and the thread became a political flame war over Bush, Iraq and the midterm elections with many personal insults.
• Falling NASCAR TV ratings spark diversity argument 2006-11-24 · 41 posts
  Mitch_A blamed falling NASCAR ratings on Brian France's commercialisation and diversity programme drivers. Others accused him of racism, while Jason Moyer argued some diversity drivers were simply under-qualified; the thread became a heated argument about affirmative action and SPEED TV's NASCAR-heavy coverage.
• Off-topic flame war over Iraq war analogy 2007-01-09 · 25 posts
  Mitch_A compared quitting Iraq to quitting a race while leading, prompting a political flame war over WMDs and the war, with insults and calls to mark off-topic posts.
• Off-topic political post leads to global warming debate 2007-02-22 · 26 posts
  A political allegory from Mitch_A drew insults, then turned into a debate on global warming, with Jeff Reid disputing man-made CO2's contribution and others, including Andrew MacPherson, citing evidence and peak oil.
• iRacing subscription pricing announced and debated 2008-01-23 · 124 posts
  Posters discussed iRacing's newly announced pricing of about $13 a month on a yearly plan, with extra cars and tracks costing $15 to $25. iRacing's Tim Wheatley answered questions, saying the base content would cover a first season and that launch was planned for spring. Opinions split between those who found the price reasonable compared to other hobbies and sceptics like Backspace who attacked the cost and the $20 trial, leading to insults; the later posts drifted into GPL tyre grip and sensing speed in sims.
• Pat Dotson's ARCA setup guide and the setup-sharing row 2008-03-31 · 38 posts
  Pat Dotson posted a detailed guide to building faster ARCA Sim Racing oval setups while saying he would no longer hand out his own. Some readers called the refusal rude, leading Byron Forbes and Quentin Queerbottom into abusive exchanges, while Pat explained repeated requests had become ridiculous. The thread later turned to whether great drivers such as Jim Clark and Ronnie Peterson were poor test drivers.
• List of the best PC racing sims by category 2008-04-23 · 32 posts
  Mr T posted a list of the most realistic sims in each category and asked for opinions. Suggestions included rFactor mods for F1 and GP79, Richard Burns Rally for rally, ARCA Sim Racing over NR2003 for stock cars, and Live for Speed. A side argument about buying ARCA by mail across borders turned into name-calling.
• Canadian struggles to buy Richard Burns Rally 2008-05-19 · 44 posts
  Poky asked how to buy Richard Burns Rally in Canada and whether he was forced to pirate it. Others pointed to eBay, budget releases and online retailers, but he rejected eBay and PayPal, and the exchange with Roger Longcock descended into insults and accusations of piracy. He eventually said he would buy a cheap copy from a UK store.
• InsideSimRacing video preview of iRacing 2008-06-05 · 67 posts
  Tony Rickard linked a 16-minute InsideSimRacing video explaining how iRacing would work. Andrew MacPherson and Schooner doubted the business model, pricing and lack of offline or league options, while beta testers Larry and Uwe Schürkamp said field sizes depended on skill-level splits and that yellow flags and pit stops were not yet implemented. An anonymous poster's questions about grid sizes sparked accusations that he was David G Fisher, and abuse followed.
• iRacing NDA lifted: beta tester calls it addictive 2008-06-06 · 101 posts
  After the iRacing beta NDA was lifted, a tester called it 'crack in a box' and the most addictive thing since NROS. Larry praised the closed, mod-free, real-name, centrally ranked system, while others objected to the subscription price and the departure from the open mod and league culture of rFactor. The long thread veered between thoughtful comparisons, including Tony Rickard on GPL and rFactor history, and crude insults from pseudonymous posters.
• Requests for iRacing invites and arguments over real names 2008-06-30 · 35 posts
  Howard Fergerson asked for a spare iRacing invite, and Tony Rickard said the next wave of invites would go to those registered on the website. A sceptic called the invitation system a marketing ploy, and the thread turned into an insult-filled argument over whether iRacing's real-name requirement was a privacy risk.
• First driver banned from iRacing 2008-07-13 · 26 posts
  A poster reported that Brian Zerkle had become the first person banned from iRacing for disruptive behaviour. The discussion became an argument about whether iRacing's real-name policy endangered members' safety, with several posters mocking the privacy concerns. Others complained about browser compatibility with the iRacing site.
• GTR Evolution arrives; keyboard controls joke sparks flame 2008-09-10 · 32 posts
  Larry joked that GTR Evolution's quick-start sheet listed keyboard arrow keys as the controls. A newcomer posting as John Doe complained he could not understand the joke, which led to a long exchange of insults with Plowboy and others. Andrew MacPherson compared RAS to condensed soup with tooth-breaking croutons.
• iRacing on BBC News and the truck racing debate 2008-09-25 · 39 posts
  Rob P linked a BBC News technology story about iRacing. Andrew MacPherson's jokes about pickup truck racing sparked a debate over NASCAR trucks and American culture; Tony Rickard said trucks were essential to iRacing's US audience. Tim Wheatley explained how safety rating works in long races, before the thread degenerated into anti-American and anti-European insults.
• iRacing 'for grown men and women' sparks name-calling 2008-09-26 · 62 posts
  Mario Petrinovic praised iRacing as a mature simulation, and critics called it elitist and overpriced. Adamo Contadino argued that the real-name requirement was a security risk, which led to a long flame war with several posters. Tony Rickard noted that iRacing members had a diverse range of opinions.
• iRacing's Watkins Glen and the Radical, plus pricing gripes 2008-12-03 · 48 posts
  Larry praised iRacing's laser-scanned Watkins Glen and racing the Radical there, though GaryR noted the track was scanned before a repave. Andrew MacPherson questioned whether iRacing could afford to keep tracks current, and Uwe Schürkamp observed RAS discussion of iRacing had dropped off. Requests for pay-per-race pricing and renewed objections to real names led to another round of insults.
• iRacing free trial auto-renewal complaint 2009-03-12 · 97 posts
  A poster complained that iRacing charged his card after a free trial because auto-renewal was on by default. Tim Wheatley of iRacing said the renewal terms were clearly stated in the welcome email, and posters split between blaming the customer and calling opt-out billing sneaky. The thread also covered credit card verification, real names and the Solstice, and was revived years later with excerpts of iRacing customer service messages.
• RaceSimCentral returns and its moderation is criticised 2009-06-14 · 44 posts
  Posters noted that the RaceSimCentral (RSC) forum was back online after an outage. Jeff Reid complained about RSC's public yellow and red card warnings, recounting a warning he received for posting a David Coulthard video, which led to a debate about copyright and forum moderation. The thread also touched on ISPs dropping Usenet access and the decline of RAS, with insults exchanged along the way.
• Byron Forbes on iRacing, and the 'iPonzi' accusations 2009-09-28 · 51 posts
  Byron Forbes described joining iRacing on a three-month deal and called it the best sim available despite some issues. A poster calling it 'iPonzi' argued its physics were no better than older sims and that pro series winners were just exploiting it, while others defended its accuracy, the iRacing World Championship and the VW TDI Cup prize. Posts also covered auto-renewal billing complaints and Dale Earnhardt Jr's sim racing.