GPL = difficult? YES!!!!

Hey all, IMO: 1) Is GPL hard? Yes 2) Is the stock AI too hard? Yes 3) Can you modify the AI? Yes 4) Is GPL worth the time and effort? Yes I'm not a *** racing sim guy, but I enjoy driving a good simulator. I have three boys (aged 13, 14 and 18), and not one of them likes GPL. They would rather play NFSIII, as it takes very little skill to bash around the track and win a race, or evade the cops. I bought GPL several weeks ago, and when I first played it, my experience was like this ... I loaded the game, started a training session with one of the novice trainer cars. I went round and round Watkins Glen about 20 laps. I felt I was ready to try and race. The next thing I knew I was seated in a full power car turning in lap times 15 or 20 seconds off the pace! I stayed in, and started the race in the last position. The race started, and I was left in the dust ... finishing three laps behind the leader. I was pretty upset. Christ, I thought, was that fun? NO! After that first try, I put NFSIII back in. But, I came back and tried again. And again, and again and again. Honestly I don't have the free time to sit down and really put the time in to get good enough to pull off a 1:06 at the Glen. However When I find the time to get away and race for a while ... I seem to always put GPL in. I find the game an amazing challenge, and have had some of the most satisfying *** experiences while playing it. How did I go from wanting to crack the CD in half and throw it in the fireplace ... to treasuring its place in my game collection? First of all, I learned how to dumb down my AI competition. I'm not going to go into how it's done here, but it's not hard at all. Once I slowed things down to the point where I didn't come in last every race, I found that I was learning more. Actually being able to keep up, I learned more about the tracks by following other cars. Not knowing much about car setup, I downloaded some setups off the net, and tried them. I could notice a big difference between the way the car handled before and after the change in setup. Then I printed out, and scrutinized the differences in setup. I tweaked some things here and there myself, and saved the setups as 'mine'. Furthermore, as I just loved the sound of the ferrari, it was a while before I tried any other car. In retrospect, that was a big mistake. The first time I tried the Lotus, I shaved so much time off my laps that I couldn't believe it. The next thing I sat down and did ... was to take the time and try and learn each track. I found that some tracks were more 'fun' than others. I also noticed that certain tracks were more applicable to my driving style. While doing this I learned perhaps the most important thing that helped me go faster: "Watch the landmarks aside the tracks". I started using trees, houses, and stuff to mark my breaking points. This was crucial, and my lap times smoothed out to the point where I was pulling laps within one second of each other -- consistantly. After having gone through those steps, which were fun in and of themselves ... I'm enjoying some of the best racing I've ever had in front of my computer. The AI that I had dumbed down to get started, is constantly being sped back up (If I win a race by a significant margin, I give the AI some more ooomph.) By keeping the AI files modified, and always keeping them one step ahead of me: I am assured that I will always have a challenging race -- one in which I will need to make no mistakes in order to win. I now look forward to 4-wheel-drifting my Lotus around Spa, with the leader in my sights. This game has given me more challenge than any other. I keep coming back to it when I have some free *** time. When I win a race, I actually feel as though I accomplished something. And that ... if for no other reason ... is why Grand Prix Legends has become my favorite game. The level of immersion is spectacular, I actually feel as though I'm walking away from my race car when turn off my computer (well, almost). I paid $35 bucks for a simulator that takes me back in time; to the days when race cars were dangerous, and their drivers must have been frickn crazy. People that write in this newsgroup, about their dislike for this sim, either haven't got the patience to work slowly and gradually, or are simply miffed that they couldn't buy the game and win a race in the same day. If GPL was EASY to learn, I simply wouldn't have spent so much time with it ... and I certainly wouldn't have received the level of satisfaction and feeling of accomplishment it has given me. I tried some online racing too. Wow. That's all I can say ... Wow.

> People that write in this newsgroup, about their dislike for this sim, > either haven't got the patience to work slowly and gradually, or are > simply miffed that they couldn't buy the game and win a race in the > same day. If GPL was EASY to learn, I simply wouldn't have spent so > much time with it ... and I certainly wouldn't have received the level > of satisfaction and feeling of accomplishment it has given me. I feel the same way. I've had GPL since the first day it hit the stores, and I'm just now able to qualify on the front row and race the un-tweaked AI at ONE track. The feeling of satisfaction I get lapping within a car length or two with Clark and Hill is beyond anything I've experienced with any other simulation. I still have a bunch of tracks to learn, GPL will keep me engrossed for the better part of a year, and once I can run up front with the AI at all the tracks, there's still the online world for even more challenge. All this for 35 bucks. Anyone who's complaining is just flat out missing the point. Trips

Trips, you are so damn right!!!! Nothing to add!!!

% Hey all, % IMO: % 1) Is GPL hard? Yes % 2) Is the stock AI too hard? Yes % 3) Can you modify the AI? Yes % 4) Is GPL worth the time and effort? Yes <Snipped well written experience of a GPL junkie> Very well put, it wraps up my experience as well. I don't know why, but I keep come back for more punishment. But everytime I fire up GPL and better my times or consitency, I soon find myself drawn right back to give it another try. I just can't get enough . . . Thank you Papy! -- **************************** Michael E. Carver ************************* Upside out, or inside down...False alarm the only game in town. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=<[ /./. [- < ]>=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

>People that write in this newsgroup, about their dislike for this sim, >either haven't got the patience to work slowly and gradually, or are >simply miffed that they couldn't buy the game and win a race in the >same day. If GPL was EASY to learn, I simply wouldn't have spent so >much time with it ... and I certainly wouldn't have received the level >of satisfaction and feeling of accomplishment it has given me. There are reasons to criticize the accuracy an overall perfomance of GPL that have nothing to do with wanting an EASY game. David G Fisher

Good post. Pity's a terrible thing, but I feel really sorry for those who can't share this experience. Shouldn't say that though because I'm sure they get just as much satisfaction out of their favourites... well, they think they do anyway ;-) I just wish I could win the lottery and buy everyone on RAS a decent PC and wheel/pedal set, then maybe they'd see the light. Oops, that sounded religious! Andrew McP... card carrying GPL Gestapo

>> I tried some online racing too. Wow. That's all I can say ... Wow. >Good post. Pity's a terrible thing, but I feel really sorry for those who can't share this >experience. Shouldn't say that though because I'm sure they get just as much satisfaction >out of their favourites... well, they think they do anyway ;-) >I just wish I could win the lottery and buy everyone on RAS a decent PC and wheel/pedal set, >then maybe they'd see the light. Oops, that sounded religious! >Andrew McP... card carrying GPL Gestapo Tucson Coyote Here, a newbie to the GPL circuit..... All I can say is (OH boy!) I just tried out 'The Ring' and that track is so fun to barrel around in.... Monaco too! I mean, I liked GP2 but had GP2 this engine, I would never lost my GP2 and gotten GPL.... Last night, I went out on 'The Ring' and tested out the physuics..... I actually got air under the car! Totally cool! and when I lost control, I did an axial tumble (I lost count after 4 complete roataions of the car (When I went back to replay, I counted no less than 8 total tumbles after I went over a fence and tumbled that many times (Luckily all I didwas put the car out in a pasture!) Monaco is also a scream... Wide open, and when you hit a lamp post the car shatters!.....Now if I can pull an Ascari and dump myself into the harbor in Monaco, now that would be totally cool....(SPLASH!) I mean, yes racing is fun, but when you tangle with clark, Hill or some of the other racers (even tangling with Dan Gurney is cool) then you know the fact is coolness to the extreme.... Is GPL worth the 455 bucks??? Yes! The only downside I have to the game is why didn't they put in other tracks rather than just the 67 season (Tracks like Le Mans, Sebring, and Riverside)..... but all in all GPL is one hot item..... Can't wait for the add on for 68! Tucson Coyote

>Monaco is also a scream... Wide open, and when you hit a lamp post the car >shatters!.....Now if I can pull an Ascari and dump myself into the harbor in >Monaco, now that would be totally cool....(SPLASH!) Yes, I've been trying to find a way to mate GPL with my Win98 "Underwater" screensaver (sound effects and all) . . .