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Rec.Autos.Simulators Archive

GPL is not a sim

13 posts by 11 people · 11 Dec 1998 - 21 Dec 1998

Paul Jone 11 Dec 1998#439577
It is a masterpiece. A work of art. The more one savours it, the more one finds to appreciate. It is J.S.Bach to the Bay City Rollers of ordinary sims. Everything is perfect - the sepia graphics, the roar of the engines, the thrill of the chase, the accuracy of the physics, the elegance of the interface, the ..... I could go on for ever but these sentiments been voiced too many times on this ng already. Paul
KPineb 11 Dec 1998#439578
>I could go on for ever but these >sentiments been voiced too many times on this ng already. Perhaps, but the Bach/Bay City Rollers comparison is fresh! Personally, I would have used Mozart and Tony Orlando, but I basically agree with you. In entertainment value for the dollar spent, I think GPL ranks right up there with a Teton Village lift ticket, the premiere of Star Wars, or my first date with the Holly W. back in 10th grade. Regards, Pinebox
Rick Worre 11 Dec 1998#439579
Hmmm, "the Holly W." Must have been special if she got an article before her name! LOL
Quoted text (13 lines)>>I could go on for ever but these >>sentiments been voiced too many times on this ng already. >Perhaps, but the Bach/Bay City Rollers comparison is fresh! Personally, I >would have used Mozart and Tony Orlando, but I basically agree with you. >In entertainment value for the dollar spent, I think GPL ranks right up there >with a Teton Village lift ticket, the premiere of Star Wars, or my first date >with the Holly W. back in 10th grade. >Regards, >Pinebox
-- Rick Worrell Sports *** Network [link lost in import: /***.com]
GM_to 11 Dec 1998#439580
Very well spoken. I have been lurking here reading the threads on the unflattering reviews of GPL. I wasn't going to bother throwing my 2 cents in, but I can't hold it in anymore. It seems to me that those that choose to trash GPL for it's difficulty are not looking at it for what it is, a simulation of reality. Not NFS and GAMES of that sort, where real world physics do not exist. Nothing against those games. But don't buy GPL expecting to jump in have have the car drive like it's on rails. I bought GPL because I love racing. Real racing. I raced go karts for many years but chose not to move on to higher classes because of the cost involved. I have often wondered how well I would have done if I was able to persue an auto racing career. Would I have been able to beat the best drivers in my chosen form of motorsport ? I'll never know in the real world. SIMS like ICR, ICR2, GPL and others allow me to test my mettle in a way that is a close to reality as I'll ever get. The people at Papy understand what people like me are looking for, and have designed a SIM to meet THAT specific market. It tells you right on the box. "The most accurate vehicle dynamics model ever developed for a racing simulation." That is exactly what I was looking for. If I brought GPL home and mastered it in a week I would have been very sad and dissapointed. The cars were difficult to drive in '67 and they are difficult to drive in GPL. It has given me a whole new respect for the men that drove those cars. Remember, they didn't have SHIFT-R on the dashboard. What better test for a closet racer than to try to race what they raced. With that said, I would like to make a specific request to anyone from Papy lurking nearby. PLEEEEASE consider doing SIM of the REAL USAC Champ Cars from the early '60s. To those of you not familiar. Champ Cars were what are often times mistaken as what are now known as Sprint Cars. Champ Cars have a longer wheelbase and are much heavier than sprint cars. They raced on dirt AND pavement with few changes to the chassis except for tires, gears and such. This was before any manhood enhancement devices (rollcages) were invented. Like the Grand Prix cars of old, they were very powerful and dangerous things to drive. Drivers didn't often die of old age. I would love to know what it was like barreling into Puke Hollow at Langhorne, where so many men died. What was it like to run the paved highbanks of Salem and Winchester in those cars or the dirt at DuQuoin, Syracuse, Reading............ Anybody else out there ? I don't know anything about programming, it may be impossible to program the variables of a dirt surface, but I don't believe there is any company better qualified to try than Papy. Once they figure out dirt, could World Of Outlaws Sprint Cars be far behind ? ;-) Greg M. M88 Racing Team (In a SIM world I can even have my own race team)
Arto Wikla 12 Dec 1998#439752
... well, I am voicing in a perfect harmony ... I feel this simulator really is worth of all the praise it has gained. There seems to have been a touch of true art and science by the makers. And as far as I can remember, your mention of "sepia graphics" (etc.) is really the first mention to the artwork (in the real sense of fine arts) to this computer program. Once again, congratulations and thanks to the makers! Arto
GPL is easily the best value for money product I've ever bought for a computer. I've said it before, I'll say it again - it would be worth the money if they only gave us one track, one car, and no AI drivers. Nothing on a computer has ever approached the satisfaction of nailing a hot lap in GPL - I'm no hotshoe, so I'm not turning laps like the really quick people, but I'm just over a second slower at the Glen in the Coventry than Alison Hine, using the same setup, so I'm pretty satisfied. Recently switched over to Spa, and knocked over 4s off my best yesterday, but I'm still in the 3:34s, so I have a long way to go (Masta still scares the bejeezus out of me, but I'm getting there). It's just amazing the feeling of accomplishment you can get from just getting through a corner cleanly and quickly when it's bitten you too many times to count. I don't have a quarrel with people saying that GPL is difficult, but that's part of the joy - it's hard because it does a better job of simulating reality than anything else out there, and if you aren't willing to put time into it, you won't get anything out of it. It took a week of throwing cars off the track at the Glen before things really clicked for me, but I haven't looked back since. GPL is actually a great metaphor for a lot of things in life - nothing that is truly rewarding is easy to master, and the rewards we get out of anything have a lot to do with what we are willing to invest in them. If you're willing to invest a bit of time and effort in GPL, you'll find that the rewards are amazing, Rick
ric 13 Dec 1998#439918
I've only had the game for a week.. ONLY just got a 3d card today.. Made the game way better.. The thing that really bothers me is the fact that the cars have no grip at all.. I choose the Ferrari by default, and on the straights, the thing wants to power slide all over the track.. Its frustrating to say the least.. With time and more and more laps, things will be better.. But this isn't as realistic as it could be when it comes to putting the power down.. I believe the gammers listened to a bit too much embellishing from the old drivers.. (now put the date at early 80's and turbo F1, and this sim is realistic!) I think the sim is good.. GP2 was allot easier to drive no doubt at all.. But it too took time to learn to drive, like stay off the curbs and don't let the other cars near your rear, or they will spin you out.. etc... GPL is the same.. Just takes time..
Quoted text (28 lines)> GPL is easily the best value for money product I've ever bought for a > computer. I've said it before, I'll say it again - it would be worth the > money if they only gave us one track, one car, and no AI drivers. Nothing > on a computer has ever approached the satisfaction of nailing a hot lap in > GPL - I'm no hotshoe, so I'm not turning laps like the really quick people, > but I'm just over a second slower at the Glen in the Coventry than Alison > Hine, using the same setup, so I'm pretty satisfied. > Recently switched over to Spa, and knocked over 4s off my best yesterday, > but I'm still in the 3:34s, so I have a long way to go (Masta still scares > the bejeezus out of me, but I'm getting there). It's just amazing the > feeling of accomplishment you can get from just getting through a corner > cleanly and quickly when it's bitten you too many times to count. > I don't have a quarrel with people saying that GPL is difficult, but that's > part of the joy - it's hard because it does a better job of simulating > reality than anything else out there, and if you aren't willing to put time > into it, you won't get anything out of it. It took a week of throwing cars > off the track at the Glen before things really clicked for me, but I haven't > looked back since. > GPL is actually a great metaphor for a lot of things in life - nothing that > is truly rewarding is easy to master, and the rewards we get out of anything > have a lot to do with what we are willing to invest in them. If you're > willing to invest a bit of time and effort in GPL, you'll find that the > rewards are amazing, > Rick
> I think the sim is good.. GP2 was allot easier to drive no doubt at all.. But it > too took time to learn to drive, like stay off the curbs and don't let the other > cars near your rear, or they will spin you out.. etc... > GPL is the same.. Just takes time.. I feel like I'm learning different things though in GPL. I'm learning to balance the attitude of the car to make the trajectory on the track, rather than just controlling the trajectory. - Matt
ric 16 Dec 1998#440518
I've found the Lotus allot easier to drive... than the Ferrari! Still can't get much lower than a 1:50 at Silverstone.. Everytime I get the car to stay on the track and brake late, hit the apexes, and etc.. The engine blows.... frustrating. Also, the AI cars can always pull me on the straights... really pull, not even close..
Quoted text (13 lines)> > I think the sim is good.. GP2 was allot easier to drive no doubt at all.. But it > > too took time to learn to drive, like stay off the curbs and don't let the other > > cars near your rear, or they will spin you out.. etc... > > GPL is the same.. Just takes time.. > I feel like I'm learning different things though in GPL. > I'm learning to balance the attitude of the car to > make the trajectory on the track, rather than just > controlling the trajectory. > - Matt
P Gagg 18 Dec 1998#440856
Sounds like you are changing gear without lifting the throttle? While this may give you a very small increase in lap times cos the revs remain higher while changing, they also blow the engine on a regular basis, and usually pretty quickly too? Try changing gears after lifting off the throttle for a split second, and see if that improves the reliablity of the engine & gearbox? 8-) *Peter* #:-)
> > I've found the Lotus allot easier to drive... than the Ferrari! > > Still can't get much > > lower than a 1:50 at Silverstone.. Everytime I get the car to stay > > on the track and > > brake late, hit the apexes, and etc.. The engine blows.... > > frustrating. You're to slow!! ;-) I downloaded the setups from alicen hine's<sp?> pages. At silverstone I'm running constant 1:33s. My pit out lap is like 1:36.x And I think that I'm slow. For you to be doing a 1:50 tells me that you're not driving the car right. Try taking the corners at such a speed that you just barely hear tire screetching if at all. BTW: I run the Covington. Mike Barlow MikeBa
P Gagg 21 Dec 1998#441276
Quoted text (17 lines)> > (Ric) > > > I've found the Lotus allot easier to drive... than the Ferrari! > > > Still can't get much > > > lower than a 1:50 at Silverstone.. Everytime I get the car to > > > stay > > > on the track and > > > brake late, hit the apexes, and etc.. The engine blows.... > > > frustrating. > You're to slow!! ;-) > I downloaded the setups from alicen hine's<sp?> pages. At > silverstone I'm running constant 1:33s. My pit out lap is like > 1:36.x > And I think that I'm slow. For you to be doing a 1:50 tells me
that > you're not driving the car right. Try taking the corners at such a > speed > that you just barely hear tire screetching if at all. BTW: I run > the This isn't my message, make sure you are replying to the correct recipient please. I was advising the guy who said he could only manage 1:50's!!! 8-) *Peter* #:-)

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