PC Gamer "new" Column

In last months issue of PCG, I noticed that Dan Bennets replacement Andy Mahood,is a past racer and avid sim-racer/pilot. This was a welcome change from the "If it aint a plane, tank, or hellicopter, it aint making it into my sim column" approach PCG has had to sim-racing in the past. I had been eagerly awaiting this months issue and damned if I missed the on the shelf date, but sure enuff, his first full column was packed in with the N2 physics to N3 as opposed to GPL physics.......FINALLY a column for our genre. I noticed he credited r.a.s. , and apparantly peruses the NG, so a long awaited THANK YOU to both him and PCG for FINALLY getting racing involved in the sim column.

I presume you are talking about the US version of PC Gamer, as opposed to the UK. Damn if thats the case. We'll still have to put up with 'only arcade type games are any good' people reviewing sims. [Not that arcade drivinggames aren't good. :) ] For example, there was a snippet about Spirit of Speed (the 1930's 'sim'). They said that it would be easier to drive than the 'too difficult' GPL. They obviously don't appreciate that a 30's car should be REALLYhard to drive (IMHO). Oooohhh well. Looks like I'll have to find the US version, some shops sell it over here anyway. Cheers for the info. Gavin www.sharknose.freeserve.co.uk PS - Hold on, will there be any stuff on the pcgamer.com site? Please remove the EPROWJ before replying by email. ***** Posted via the UK Online online newsreader ***** Go to http://www.ukonline.co.uk to find out about other online services we offer our subscribers.

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> >In last months issue of PCG, I noticed that Dan Bennets replacement > Andy > >Mahood,is a past racer and avid sim-racer/pilot. This was a welcome > change > >from the "If it aint a plane, tank, or hellicopter, it aint making it > into > >my sim column" approach PCG has had to sim-racing in the past. I had > been > >eagerly awaiting this months issue and damned if I missed the on the > shelf > >date, but sure enuff, his first full column was packed in with the > N2 > >physics to N3 as opposed to GPL physics.......FINALLY a column > for our > >genre. I noticed he credited r.a.s. , and apparantly peruses the NG, > so a > >long awaited THANK YOU to both him and PCG for FINALLY getting > racing > >involved in the sim column.

Can you tell me what issue # that artice was in. They sell US PC Gamer somplaces in town. PC Gamer UK did give GPL seriously good review. 93 % AFAIR. They also had GPL on the cover of one of the issues last year. But I think the editor may not be good enough to give the magazine one opinion about a game, and therefore different writers may say bad things about a game that got very good reviews. What issue did they have anything on Spirit of Speed ? Probably the I missed with X-wing alliance on the cover :) In the last issue i have (Outcast) they gave NFS4 81% and SCGT 80%, but what the heck, it's just subjective opinions. -- Olav K. Malmin remove spam when replying

On Thu, 12 Aug 1999 02:48:53 -0500, "John Tomlinson"

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>In last months issue of PCG, I noticed that Dan Bennets replacement Andy >Mahood,is a past racer and avid sim-racer/pilot. This was a welcome change >from the "If it aint a plane, tank, or hellicopter, it aint making it into >my sim column" approach PCG has had to sim-racing in the past. I had been >eagerly awaiting this months issue and damned if I missed the on the shelf >date, but sure enuff, his first full column was packed in with the N2 >physics to N3 as opposed to GPL physics.......FINALLY a column for our >genre. I noticed he credited r.a.s. , and apparantly peruses the NG, so a >long awaited THANK YOU to both him and PCG for FINALLY getting racing >involved in the sim column.

From what he's written so far, it looks like he knows what he's talking about (unlike Dan "I don't care for racing games" Bennett or Tom "GPL's physics are over-modelled" McDonald. Hopefully we'll see the end of references to '67 Lotus driver Grant Hill, the Laguna Seca track in Canada, as well as the permanent road course in Toronto. It'll be good to have an alternative to Gordon Goble in the "big magazine simracer" category. Martin Nigel Mansell RIP! "The driving model uses a combination of driver input (steering, accelerating, and braking) and road conditions to determine how they affect the suspension, tires, and powertrain of the car, resulting in some seriously realistic handling." -from PCGamer's informative Trans-Am Racing preview

> >What issue did they have anything on Spirit of Speed ? Probably the I > missed > >with X-wing alliance on the cover :) > Can't remember offhand what issue # it was. But its the VERY latest > issue of PCGamer (UK). Its got Tiberian Sun on the cover. Thanks, It probably hasn't come out in Norway yet then, we are usually about one month late. -- Olav K. Malmin remove spam when replying

Resisting the urge to quote all other posts in their entirety I did gulp at one line in Mahood's column: "...GPL proved to be a major commercial dissappoinment. From its release in late 1998 through last May, only 36,000 copies of the game have been sold." 36,000!??! Damn. Can this be true? No wonder GPL owners get treated worse than UFO abductees! Happy Motoring, Mtanker

>Resisting the urge to quote all other posts in their entirety I did gulp at one >line in Mahood's column: >"...GPL proved to be a major commercial dissappoinment. From its release in

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>late 1998 through last May, only 36,000 copies of the game have been sold." >36,000!??! >Damn. >Can this be true? >No wonder GPL owners get treated worse than UFO abductees!

What would be a good number? Are these sales numbers available publicly for other games? For comparison, how many copies of Nascar Racing 2 and 99 have been sold, or Sports Car GT, or Viper Racing? What about CPR? <remove 7of9 for e-mail replies> -- Bill Jones e-mail addresses: (860) 823-2473 WWW: http://pages.cthome.net/billj

But that's 36,000 happy customers ;-) Actually, thats what I really though the sales were. I was thinking near 40-50,000 product sold. There is many reasons for this, from the complexity of GPL (games don't always have to be created for the mass market), the weird marketing, and somehow just the point that racing simulators were NEVER really as popular as other types of *** software in general. -- -- Fran?ois Mnard <ymenard> -- May the Downforce be with you... "People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don't realise how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world."

> Actually, thats what I really though the sales were. I was thinking near > 40-50,000 product sold. There is many reasons for this, from the complexity > of GPL (games don't always have to be created for the mass market), the > weird marketing, and somehow just the point that racing simulators were > NEVER really as popular as other types of *** software in general. I think the distribution must have been one of the worst for a serious product ever. It's just now starting to show up in the shelves of many less dedicated stores here, at a reduced price. It's release passed totally unnoticed. It's a shame. Cheers, /ft (in Sweden, before you ask)

AMEN!!! Kudos to PC Gamer... In fact I was planning on letting my subscription lapse, but will re-new after all!

>What would be a good number? Umm, 36,000 isn't a good number. Sierra Sports and Papy might feel all warm and fuzzy about the great GPL physics but unless they have plans to move into their cousin's spare bedroom they're gonna look for other ways to pay the rent. NASCAR 2 sold 71,000 during GPL's 36,000 sales period. That's not total sales to date for N2, just that period. That number is contained in the same column. Buy the mag, read the piece, and be enlightened! With no source to site(probably www.codemasters.com), I've heard Codemaster managed to sell Colin McRae Rally for PC and Console to the tune of 1.5 million copies! How's that for a good number? Good enough for a sequel... Anyway the column was about why NASCAR3 isn't going to use the GPL engine.

How many readers are there on this news group? 36,000? :-). Probably not but unless you were a vintage F1 fan or read somewhere like this news group how good the physics are then you probably would not bother with GPL because the advertising or sales people that I have seen made it look like just another driving game but with older cars. Also how much of the market is with a younger generation that does not now who Jim Clark or Jack Brabham are? The August PC Gamer (US) has Andy Mohood's introduction. He explains how he has always been a flying and driving sim nut and did some professional racing (Formula Atlantics). The September issue he talks about Nascar 3 and why it does not have the GPL engine. I read an earlier post asking if there are any magazines on driving simulators. Maybe no magazines but now there is an article by a real race sim fan. Lutrell :-) D Sport Racer #74 http://www2.scca.com/amateur/club_racing/runoffs/photogal/dsr-74.jpg

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>> Actually, thats what I really though the sales were. I was thinking near >> 40-50,000 product sold. There is many reasons for this, from the complexity >> of GPL (games don't always have to be created for the mass market), the >> weird marketing, and somehow just the point that racing simulators were >> NEVER really as popular as other types of *** software in general. >I think the distribution must have been one of the worst for a serious product >ever. It's just now starting to show up in the shelves of many less dedicated >stores here, at a reduced price. It's release passed totally unnoticed. It's a >shame. >Cheers, > /ft (in Sweden, before you ask)

> Buy the mag, read the piece, and be enlightened! With no source to >site(probably www.codemasters.com), I've heard Codemaster managed to sell Colin >McRae Rally for PC and Console to the tune of 1.5 million copies! How's that >for a good number? Good enough for a sequel... A VERY important fact to remember: it is COMMON for console games to approach 1 million copies!!! A few hundred thousand is a _disappointment_!!! Gunner

On Thu, 12 Aug 1999 20:13:34 -0700, "Lutrell" >I read an earlier post asking if there are any magazines on driving simulators. Maybe no magazines but now there is an article by a >real race sim fan. >Lutrell :-) A shame, too. Flight sims have "Debrief" (EXCELLENT!!!!) and "Virtual Pilot" (ALSO excellent). We have nothing. 'Course, maybe there aren't enough _driving_ sims to predicate a driving sim rag. Personally I'd buy one! Gunner