Well, I picked up GPL yesterday, but I didn't have a chance to install
it until this morning, about a half-hour before I had to go to work.
Here's my system:
K6-225
64Mb EDO RAM
12MB Orchid Righteous 2 (most recent 3dfx reference drivers)
CL SB AWE64
Thrustmaster GP1 steering wheel (set about 80% linear)
I installed it, fired it up and went straight for a single race at Monza
with a full field. I set graphics to 800x600, all textures on ahead, no
textures in mirrors, showing only cars and track in mirrors. I don't
remember if I set the objects to "many" or left it on "all". Left all
effects settings per default, except for sounds, which I bumped up to 5.
I didn't read any documentation, so I didn't know how to access
framerates, but here's my subjective impression:
In practice, coming out of the pits was choppy but not unmanageable.
Once I got to the first two cars in the pit lane, things smoothed out
(and this was with one car leading out ahead of me). I drove a few
practice laps, everything seemed pretty smooth, the car was very
responsive. My best lap was 1:35.xx (my best in the demo was 1:38.xx),
putting me 11th on the grid.
Going to the race, I didn't bother changing the default car setup, so I
think I had a full tank of fuel. On the start (man, it's hard to see the
man with the green flag), the framerate was choppy until about where the
track splits for the banking. Controls were still fairly responsive
though. I dropped about 5 positions on the start, but managed to hold my
own through the first turn, running alongside several cars in the back
half of the pack. Framerate was adequate, (not noticeably choppy, though
not entirely smooth) and the car responded quickly to my input. I didn't
notice any drop in framerate while passing cars.
I made up three or four positions on the first lap. On the second or
third lap, I overshot the Parabolica and ended up in the sandtrap. By
the time I got out of the trap, I was at the back of the pack, out of
sight of the cars ahead of me. I managed on the next two laps to catch
and pass about four or five cars. At the end of lap 5, I realised I
should probably get to work, so I retired and quit the game. I didn't
check to see what my best lap was, though I expect it was comparable to
my best practice lap.
My conclusion:
The choppiness in the pit lane is of little concern to me. I'll need to
try a few more starts, however (and get some pedals so I can use the
clutch) to find out if the low framerate keeps me from getting as good a
start as I need.
In the game, with 19 cars on the track, driving with groups of 5-6 cars
ahead and around me, the perceived framerate was quite adequate and, as
I said above, the car was very responsive to my input. I didn't feel as
though there was any lag.
So, since the HMRC league doesn't begin until December, I feel
comfortable that I don't need to upgrade my system quite yet to get a
few good practice races in before then. My wife will be happy to hear
that, as well.
Michael Knepher
Quoted text (7 lines)
> Well, I picked up GPL yesterday, but I didn't have a chance to install > it until this morning, about a half-hour before I had to go to work. > <snip> > Michael KnepherUnless you have a sound card with a lot of memory, adding sounds can
really hurt frame rate. I'm not sure how much memory you need in the
sound card, but I believe an AWE 64 Gold will work well. Folks having
trouble with frame rate might try cutting engine sounds to the minimum.
Very good writeup, Michael!
Alison
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