Does anyone have some tips regarding modem-play F1GP v1.05.
I use a 14k4 modem with a 100MHz Pentium, and the game
does not play well (the screen updates one a .5 sec)
>Yeah, change the Frame Rate. You can not do 25fps over the modem.
With two 486DX2/66s or faster and texture turned off you can manage
25fps over a null modem connection at 19.2Kbaud (haven't tried it at
9600 but it probably works the same), so I guess with a fast modem
(maybe 14.4k) and com ports (16550 UARTs required - the ones with small
buffers) you ought to be able to do 25fps over the phone. Horrible pit
lane slowdown still, though. 486DX4/100 or faster is probably needed
for totally smooth play - the COM code in F1GP must be really badly
written; NASCAR and IndyCar work fine yet my P90 starts hitting 100%
occupancy with external views in F1GP.
Roll on genuine network play.
Chisa
-- Gizmo
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Yeah, change the Frame Rate. You can not do 25fps over the modem. You
should change it to 10 and then check the processor percentage (hold down
the letter key O while driving). The %age should be below 100%. Increase
your FR until the processor is at about 95%. This will give you the best
results.
You should have the person with the slowest computer set the frame rate.
Especially if you want to do a season and alternate the person that does
the calling. The slower CPU will dictate how fast the game can be played.
PS - If you do this at Australia, then you will be below 95% at the other
tracks. Australia is the worse case scenario.
: With two 486DX2/66s or faster and texture turned off you can manage
: 25fps over a null modem connection at 19.2Kbaud (haven't tried it at
: 9600 but it probably works the same)
A Null-Modem connection is NOT, repeat NOT, the same thing as over a REAL
modem.
You will NOT be able to do 25fps over a REAL modem. Trust me. We have 2
486/33s going at 14.4, but we can only get 12.5fps. Each machine singly
can do 25fps with no sweat, but over the modem is COMPLETELY different
than solo.
I have had 2 machines direct-connected (Null-Modem), and yes, you can get
25fps, even if you choose 2400 baud, but only if the machine can do 25fps
in the first place. In other words, there is no slow down over
direct-connection.
There IS, however, a tremendous slow down over a REAL modem. It's a fact
of life, deal with it.
: I have had 2 machines direct-connected (Null-Modem), and yes, you can get
: 25fps, even if you choose 2400 baud, but only if the machine can do 25fps
: in the first place. In other words, there is no slow down over
: direct-connection.
Sorry, Doug, but that's false. At home we have, among other things, a
486DX2/66 and a Pentium 90 (more random system details; both have 8
meg memory, 16550 UARTS, and Cirrus Logic based gfx cards, one VLB and
the other PCI). We've run tests both under DOS and a Windows DOS box.
Standalone, the P90 runs at around 35% occupancy, the DX2/66 at
around 65%. This is 25fps, full detail, and texture.
Okay, now we're playing over null modem. Any baud rate, it really
doesn't seem to make any difference. On that we agree, I guess. The
P90, even in external views or the pitlane, is happy; occupancy may
hit 100% but no higher. However, the DX2/66 is not so happy. Out on
the track, it manages okay, around 85% occupancy in the***pit with
everything, rising to hit 100% at the pathological tracks (like
Hockenhiem with all its trees), but switch to an external view or go
in the pits and *whoosh* up she goes, 120% and beyond, bringing dylan
(the P90) to is knees. Turning texture off on zebedee (the DX2/66)
helps a lot, but the pitlane still manages a slowdown.
I think it's not unfair to say that F1GP/WC's COM routines suck. You
need at least a DX2/66 to get smooth, textureless 25fps, and probably
a P90 is a minimum for texture on at all times and smooth play even in
the pits. If you've been trying with a 486DX/33, Doug, that's why it
isn't working. The problem seems to be that it's very timing critical;
if you don't have a fast machine, the tiniest skews really cause the
game to bog down. dylan gets by okay because he's got so much raw
horsepower left over to absorb these skews; zebedee has a harder time
because he has less, and florence (my old 386DX/33, now pressed into a
new role as an NFS server) was dreadful even down at 12fps.
And, of course, when you add two modems in the loop, timing skews get
exaggerated horribly, especially if the modems insit on buffering
stuff up (I would guess you have to turn that off somehow). Still,
it's my guess that given two very fast machines (P90s, maybe a DX4/100
would do) with 16550 UARTS, two fast modems (to overcome 'phone line
noise), and a following wind you _could_ see 25fps, at least without
texture, running smooth with both cars in the***pit and out on the
track.
: There IS, however, a tremendous slow down over a REAL modem. It's a fact
: of life, deal with it.
Fortunately I don't have too, not having a modem. :-) But I stand by
my assertion that even a null modem connection experiences a slowdown,
causing the occupancy to go up by very approximately 30% even without
timing skews.
Chisa
-- Gizmo
