GTR

SimBin · released 2005 · discussed in 2,024 posts, 2003-2011 · overall tone positive

Posts per month

Timeline

• 2003-10-08 SimBin announced GTR, an officially licensed FIA GT Championship simulation with 56-car fields, for mid-2004. thread post
• 2004-05-01 A press demo of SimBin's GTR, with the Lister Storm and Morgan Aero 8 at Spa, leaked onto the internet. thread post post
• 2004-05-12 SimBin announced LIVE Track dynamic track-grip technology for GTR. post
• 2004-10-12 SimBin released the public GTR demo, and gtr-game.com crashed under the load. thread post post
• 2004-11-04 SimBin's GTR went on sale in Germany only, in a German-language edition from 10tacle; a fan English translation followed within days. thread post post
• 2004-12-29 SimBin announced an international release of GTR on its official site. post
• 2005-01-26 A SimBin developer said Windows 98 support would be dropped from GTR's international release. thread post
• 2005-02-11 SimBin released a new GTR demo featuring Spa at dusk. Players noted that GTR and its demo used StarForce copy protection. post post
• 2005-03-03 GTR patch 1.3 was released, adding TrackIR Vector Expansion support. post post
• 2005-03-08 The English-language version of GTR began shipping in the UK, with US imports available through GoGamer. post post
• 2005-04-20 GTR went gold for North America, and Viva Media shipped it to US retail on 3 May. post post
• 2005-05-01 GTR patch 1.4 was released with RaceMore matchmaking support, followed by a dedicated server module. post post post
• 2005-05-19 Official oval tracks for GTR were made available from 10tacle's website. post
• 2005-11-28 SimBin released patches for GTR and GT Legends. post
• 2008-08-13 SimBin took over the GTR, GTR2 and GT Legends online lobby with KGN, which restored online play. post

Key threads

• PC Gamer reports Kaemmer's new independent sim venture 2004-07-15 · 52 posts
  Jason Moyer linked a PC Gamer article reporting that Dave Kaemmer and colleagues had bought back the rights to their Papyrus code to develop sims independently, reportedly with John Henry as an investor, on an 18 to 24 month horizon. Kaemmer was quoted saying Papyrus sims had been sold in the wrong market. Members welcomed the news and then compared Papyrus's netcode and physics with SimBin's GTR press demo and F1 Challenge.
• SimBin announces officially licensed FIA GT sim GTR 2003-10-08 · 29 posts
  Alessandro Pollini posted SimBin's announcement of GTR, an officially licensed FIA GT simulation with 56-car fields including the Spa 24 Hours. Fans of SimBin's GTR 2002 mod welcomed it, and posters speculated whether it would use ISI's engine and include dedicated servers and day-night transitions. The thread also aired complaints about EA's F1 Challenge interface and controller setup.
• GTR demo impressions and the tyre-squeal debate 2004-05-01 · 97 posts
  Posters shared impressions of the GTR press demo, praising its graphics, force feedback and car behaviour but noting bumpiness, understeer and brakes that were hard to lock. A long debate followed about whether sims need exaggerated tyre squeal: Mitch_A, Eric Leblanc and JP wanted Papyrus-style audio cues, while Haqsau and Damien Evans argued that modern slicks are quiet and steering feel should be the cue. The thread turned personal at times.
• Do racing slicks squeal before losing grip? 2004-05-13 · 79 posts
  Mitch_A said he heard slicks squeal on TV, reviving an old argument; others clarified the dispute was whether slicks squeal before grip is lost, as Papyrus sims portray. Racers such as Maxx said slicks generally do not squeal in normal hard cornering, only when locked, spinning or sliding, while Joachim Trensz and jbodin argued tyre sounds are a valid substitute for missing seat-of-the-pants cues. The thread also covered GTR demo tyre-sound volumes and became personal between Haqsau, Byron Forbes and jbodin before drifting to EldredP's struggles in NR2003.
• 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.
• Steve Smith's GTR appreciation and SimBin's dev responds 2005-01-18 · 51 posts
  Motoring writer Steve Smith posted a long, positive preview and review of GTR and argued against negativity from people who had not played it. Others shared their experience with the German version, frame rates and online servers. When Byron Forbes criticised SimBin for saying leagues were a small part of its audience, a SimBin developer posting as 'Dev@simbin' replied. He said Windows 98 support was being dropped from the international release and defended the company's testing.
• Leaked GTR press demo circulates 2004-05-01 · 50 posts
  Dean Purdy linked a leaked press demo of SimBin's GTR, featuring the Lister Storm and Morgan Aero 8 at Spa, found via the Rage3D forums. Users shared download locations and the install password, and early reactions praised its realism and especially its sound. The thread later drifted into headphones, positional audio and personal finance.
• GTR public demo released 2004-10-12 · 41 posts
  Uwe Schurkamp posted a mirror for SimBin's official GTR demo, and members shared download links. Reactions were mixed: David G Fisher found the cars understeered and felt boring, while Mitch_A and Steve Simpson praised the handling and immersion. The demo's StarForce notice, setup tweaks and nausea from head movement were also discussed.
• German-only GTR release and fan English translation 2004-11-03 · 21 posts
  Buyers outside Germany who imported the German-only first release of GTR asked SimBin for an English language update. A fan translation by Skypat appeared within days; its forum thread was briefly removed as an illegal modification and then restored, and posters noted SimBin did not officially support modding because of ISI engine licensing. German buyers described themselves as beta testers given the bugs.
• Debate over Starforce copy protection in GTR and GTL 2005-12-25 · 106 posts
  A user who received GTR for Christmas asked whether its Starforce protection was harmful. Many reported no problems, while others boycotted Starforce over reported burner conflicts, hidden driver installation and fears about activation servers disappearing; Todd Wasson and Mitch_A argued developers needed protection against piracy. The long thread moved into backup rights, the DMCA and Windows kernel ring levels.
• StarForce copy protection in GTR sparks a boycott debate 2005-02-12 · 104 posts
  A poster said he would not buy GTR because it, and even its demo, installed StarForce copy protection drivers, which he called a trojan. Some reported no problems and blamed pirates for the need for protection. Others argued that such schemes only punish paying customers because the game was cracked anyway. The long debate broadened into DRM, fair-use law and the history of piracy on the Amiga.
• List of games using StarForce copy protection 2004-10-10 · 73 posts
  Steve Smith posted a list of games using StarForce copy protection, including Codemasters titles. Posters checked their systems, noted SimBin's GTR would also use StarForce 3 with a cleaner tool, and argued over whether its hidden drivers were a real danger or just complaints from pirates. The thread broadened into a discussion of Windows security, sandboxes and user rights.
• Is r.a.s. dead without Papyrus? Sims, stock cars and bumps 2005-08-10 · 71 posts
  A poster remarked that the group was dead, and Nick argued it was because regulars cared only about Papyrus and ignored sims like GTR and Richard Burns Rally. Others defended Papyrus's influence and praised the GTP mod, LFS S2 and the GTR Escort mod. The thread moved on to whether NASCAR is boring, and to a debate about bump modelling and car pitch in GTR and GT Legends.
• Debating GTR and rFactor physics against Papyrus 2004-11-12 · 65 posts
  Byron Forbes provocatively compared GTR unfavourably with NR2003's TA mod without having played it. The ensuing debate covered whether ISI-engine sims lack feel compared with Papyrus, with Tony Rickard and Mark Davison finding rFactor a step forward, Jan Verschueren insisting the physics engine was unchanged and only the car data differed, and David G Fisher stressing steering-lock settings.
• Mixed first impressions of the GTR demo 2004-10-12 · 58 posts
  Vennt found the GTR demo disappointing and very demanding, later tracing poor frame rates to a CPU bottleneck. Others criticised the weak AI and disabled simulation mode, explained by SimBin as targeting magazine cover discs, while Joachim Trensz and Alan Le praised the physics and new tyre-sound sliders. The demo's StarForce installation drew objections.
• 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.
• Will rFactor's multiplayer beat GTR's, and how netcode works 2005-07-24 · 50 posts
  A user asked why rFactor would be better online than GTR if it used the same engine. Answers noted that rFactor used ISI's newer gMotor2 engine, while Jan Verschueren argued its netcode was essentially no better than GTR's. A long technical discussion followed, with flight-sim netcode programmer Nick explaining client-server prediction. Byron Forbes and others debated whether NR2003 and GPL 'warp' crashes were caused by crude prediction.
• 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.
• Which racing sim is the most realistic in 2005? 2005-10-09 · 44 posts
  A returning sim racer asked which sims were most realistic, suggesting GPL, rFactor and Live for Speed. Answers varied widely, with nominations for GTR, Richard Burns Rally, NR2003 mods, rFactor and others, and debate about whether GT Legends shared GTR's engine and bugs. The thread drifted into grammar pedantry and jokes about The Simpsons Hit and Run.
• Should EA Tiburon be embarrassed by NSR next to GTR? 2005-02-18 · 33 posts
  Mitch_A asked whether EA Tiburon should be embarrassed that SimBin's GTR, built by former modders, outclassed NSR. An anonymous poster kept calling NSR the definitive NASCAR sim, while others listed its flaws. Posters noted that its suspension files carried over from NASCAR Thunder 2004. Steve Blankenship and Joachim Trensz then had a detailed discussion of NSR's tyre slip curves and differential.
• GTR release date and Kaemmer's GPL regrets 2004-08-04 · 31 posts
  A question about GTR's release date drew few answers, with pre-order listings pointing to mid-September in Scandinavia. Most discussion focused on Dave Kaemmer's GameSpot comment that GPL had to change to ship on time, losing a planned progression from lower formulae to F1. Dave Henrie confirmed GTR was a new standalone SimBin title on newer ISI code, and the thread drifted to Doom 3.
• Comparing GTR and rFactor for a newcomer 2005-11-03 · 31 posts
  A new GTR player asked how it compared with rFactor. Opinions split: some preferred GTR or GT Legends for licensed content and offline play, while others defended rFactor's included content, mod-friendliness and online play. Arguments followed over whether rFactor's formula cars were realistic and whether front- and rear-wheel-drive cars felt distinct.
• First impressions of the GTR demo's Spa 2004-04-29 · 29 posts
  Jason Moyer praised the GTR demo's Spa as far more convincing than ISI's F1 Challenge version, and David G Fisher argued that GTR's quality rested on F1C's foundation. Steve Smith said it felt more like a real race car than anything he had driven indoors but had very quiet tyre sounds. Posters discussed SimBin encrypting its content and hoped its multiplayer would support 30-car fields.
• GT Legends demo impressions: too much like GTR? 2005-08-17 · 28 posts
  The thread opened with the claim that the GT Legends demo was barely different from GTR. Some found its physics more convincing, especially the heavy Corvette, while others disliked the controller lag, the mirrors and locked cars. mcewena wrote a well-received explanation of why GPL still held such affection, citing first love, balance and community.
• Which current racing sims are most realistic? 2004-05-19 · 27 posts
  A newcomer asked which sims were realistic now that Grand Prix Legends was off the market. Replies recommended GPL (via eBay or retailers), NASCAR Racing 2003 with its road-course add-ons and online racing, F1 Challenge, netKar, LFS and the upcoming GTR. One poster's claim that TOCA Race Driver 2 was the most realistic was rejected by others, and NR2003 was noted to be selling for $6.99 on Amazon.
• Is StarForce copy protection in GTR safe to install? 2007-10-22 · 26 posts
  Jim Barbieri asked whether to install the GTR demo given StarForce copy protection. Most respondents advised avoiding StarForce and buying GTR2 or Race 07 instead, citing problems with virtual drives and publishers dropping it, while a few said they had never had trouble and suspected the horror stories were exaggerated. Side discussions covered graphics card upgrades and no-CD patches for GTR2.
• Returning racer asks whether anything has replaced GPL 2004-12-23 · 25 posts
  A sim racer coming back after two years asked whether anything had replaced Grand Prix Legends. Answers ranged from 'no, GPL is still king' to strong claims that GTR was now the best sim, with some arguing that NR2003 had a better tyre model. Several people reported that GTR's 1.2 patch had made multiplayer worse, with stutters, crashes and disconnects. The thread also picked up spam recipe text.
• Early GTR review highlights multiplayer features 2004-10-29 · 22 posts
  Steve Simpson linked an early ESL review of GTR that described its multiplayer features, including server options to block joins during sessions. Posters noted the German release was imminent but possibly German-language only, with a wider release rumoured for early 2005, and AutoBild had praised its accuracy. Debate followed on whether GTR's claimed warp-free collisions would beat Papyrus's netcode.
• Will GTR be the next GPL? 2004-10-15 · 22 posts
  A poster asked whether GTR would be the next GPL. Most said no: GPL redefined the genre in a way no single later sim could, though some named RBR as the new benchmark and others cited its lack of opponents. Malc argued GPL's long life came partly from being hard to modify, which JP disputed.
• Controller lag and poor feel in GTR demo 2004-05-11 · 21 posts
  Tony Rickard said GTR felt wrong to him despite calibration tweaks, and Remco Moedt reported visible controller lag between the physical and on-screen wheel. Others said controller lag had long affected ISI sims on some hardware, suggested dxtweak2, PLR axis centre values, render-ahead settings and steering options, while some users reported no lag at all. The consensus was that the problem depended on PC and controller configuration.
• 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.
• GTR joke thread drifts into Kubrick and movie debate 2004-05-11 · 61 posts
  A joke post parodying 2001: A Space Odyssey dialogue about installing GTR prompted more HAL 9000 quotes. The thread then drifted entirely into film talk, debating whether Kubrick was the greatest director, comparing him with Frankenheimer (director of Grand Prix), and later discussing Tarantino and Rodriguez.
• Lap times in the GTR demo at Spa 2004-05-01 · 50 posts
  Drivers posted Lister Storm lap times at Spa in the GTR press demo, mostly from 2:13 to 2:18, compared with real FIA GT pole times of about 2:15. Tips included taking Eau Rouge flat, enlarging brake ducts and adjusting brake bias, and Joachim Trensz shared a setup. J. Todd Wasson later reported a 2:13.2.
• Using TrackIR head tracking with racing sims 2005-02-26 · 35 posts
  Mitch_A asked whether anyone used TrackIR 3 with rFactor and said GTR and NSR worked well with it. Users discussed USB hub power, Vector Expansion support, whether TrackIR suits racing as well as flight sims, and how it compensates for missing peripheral vision. Larry repeatedly joked that he still did not know what TrackIR was.
• Is GTR worth buying, and does it run on Windows 98? 2005-03-29 · 30 posts
  A South African buyer asked whether GTR was worth getting, and most replies were enthusiastic, though some noted multiplayer problems and the effort needed to set up wheels for ISI-engine games. Uwe Schürkam warned that Windows 98 support was poor despite the German box, and others confirmed that Windows 98 had been dropped from the international box. A side argument concerned Uwe's work-licensed copy of Windows XP.
• GTR demo hailed, but netcode remains the question 2004-05-02 · 29 posts
  Marc Collins called the GTR demo the most realistic driving experience he had tried. Others said its success would depend on multiplayer, and David G Fisher called it essentially F1 Challenge with GT cars. Much of the thread covered controller sensitivity settings to fix on/off throttle and brake response.
• Getting the German GTR release to run without its CD 2004-12-23 · 24 posts
  Owners of the German GTR release asked how to run it without the CD in the drive, since the official instructions said to disconnect the CD-ROM. Posters pointed to third-party no-CD executables and virtual-drive tools and explained how to use them with patch 1.2, and asked whether online play still worked. Several posts were taken over by spam recipe text that someone had pasted into the group.
• Stale GTR international release news sparks netiquette spat 2004-12-29 · 24 posts
  A poster linked to news of GTR's international release, and others complained that the announcement was two weeks old and gave no release date. Some posters criticised the game's dated engine and the release delays, while others praised its physics and netcode. Users also raised concerns about the StarForce copy protection. Much of the thread became a dispute over whether it was arrogant to scold the original poster.
• GTR demo not recognising TSW brake pedals 2004-05-10 · 23 posts
  Kevin King could not get the GTR demo to recognise the brake on his gameport TSW wheel under Windows XP, and a BRD pedal owner had the same issue. Suggestions included the TSW USB upgrade kit, holding the brake at startup and Uwe Schuerkamp's tweak. A fix from TSW was eventually posted: lightly hold the throttle while assigning the brake axis.
• Jittering in GTR online races 2004-11-06 · 22 posts
  Uwe Schurkamp described regular jitters in his car's behaviour when racing GTR online, distinct from the known join-lag bug. After suggestions about Windows 98, drivers and IRQs, he fixed it by opening GTR's hosting ports on his Linux firewall, and another poster suggested GTR, like LFS, sends packets directly when ports are open.

Busiest threads

• GTR demo impressions and the tyre-squeal debate (26 posts about it)
• GTR demo dismissed as arcade, sparking physics debate (25 posts about it)
• Steve Smith's GTR appreciation and SimBin's dev responds (21 posts about it)
• Debating GTR and rFactor physics against Papyrus (21 posts about it)
• GTR2 announced, sparking Simbin versus rFactor argument (20 posts about it)
• Is r.a.s. dead without Papyrus? Sims, stock cars and bumps (19 posts about it)
• StarForce copy protection in GTR sparks a boycott debate (19 posts about it)
• Which racing sim is the most realistic in 2005? (17 posts about it)
• Mixed first impressions of the GTR demo (17 posts about it)
• GTR demo hailed, but netcode remains the question (16 posts about it)
• GTR tracks converted to rFactor spark legality row (15 posts about it)
• GTR demo AI seems invincible to contact (14 posts about it)
• GTR public demo released (14 posts about it)
• PC Gamer reports Kaemmer's new independent sim venture (13 posts about it)
• Controller lag and poor feel in GTR demo (13 posts about it)

Sentiment by year

Each post that discussed the sim was rated from −2 (very negative) to +2 (very positive).

Who talked about it most

Dave Henrie · 112 Mitch_A · 98 Uwe Schuerkamp · 78 Steve Simpson · 58 Byron Forbes · 49 Steve Smith · 48 Jeff Reid · 39 jason moyer · 39 Alan Bernardo · 36 Tony Rickard · 32 Marc Collins · 30 David G Fisher · 29 Steve Blankenship · 28 eventerke@nspm.h0tmail.com · 26 Jan Verschueren · 26 Darus · 25 Andi Cole · 24 Chad Rogers · 23 Jussi Koukku · 22

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