YEEEHAAA!!! Best GPL Session ever!

Wow, I just had the best GPL evening I *ever* had since getting it. Finally managed to get several targets, at once, including the best one of all (short of becoming World Champion, that is)! The adventure starts with resetting my el-cheapo non-FF wheel... ..which wasn't set right, so that my tires were always locking up under braking. At long last I was able to calibrate it so that it practically gave no lockups at all. This means every yo-yo in a BRM can outbrake me, but it's better than veering left-and-right and fighting to keep the car under control for every other turn... So, hop in the Lotus with Greger H's settings and head for the Glen. I ain't no hotlapper at all, but after some tries beat my previous so-so PB of 1:07.57 into a smashing (well, for this Joe Average ;) 1:06.59. Hurray, broke my second Papy benchmark after Monza! (Ok, earth-shattering it ain't but it would've been enough to put me in 3rd on the real 1967 grid.) In every other racing game, this would mean little, but this is GPL and we all know how 'easy' this is when it just happens you're not an alien... Great! Now, on to Monza and see if the new wheel setup helps to keep control into Lesmo and Parabolica. And it does. After some tries I get my 1:29.92 down into 1:29.80. Now let's see if I can qualify a bit higher on the grid as well... Whaddaya know, 1:29.62 and that leads to mah first pole as well! Jeez, I can't seem to do anything wrong this evening. (Usually I manage to to that quite well... ;) I immediately quit GPL and lock my monza.svg file to make sure I don't have to start all over again next time. After some tries - and failures, of course - it seems I can *just about* stay in the Lotus's slipstream if I get a good start... Slipstreaming efforts on lap 2 also get my PB down into 1:29.59 (woohoo, nice bonus inbetween spins and parking lotsa Loti into bushes). Unfortunately, unlike real life those darned two Lotuses of messrs Clark & Hill always get just-about-perfect starts and beat me on take-off every time. After several tries I manage to figure out where Greger's setups make my lowly Lotus just a smidgen faster than those two (one or two curves). That should come in useful.. Here's another try, another start... Darn, and another crappy getaway. It's not too bad but Clark & Hill are gone again and Black Jack manages to pass me as well. Luckily, the Lotus is just a bit faster than the Brabham at Monza and I sling past him going into the Curva Grande. This is where Greger's setup pays off and I can even get fairly close behind the Loti into the Lesmos. Get a good exit there for a change and go slipstream behind Clark! Not too close though, I've made *that* mistake before plenty of times... Turning onto the straight going to Parabolica, I slingshot my car out of the 'stream, passing Clark, passing Hill... Unfortunately, the higher speed and somewhat meagre braking power due to my wheel setup result in me sliding wide somewhat and Graham passes me on the inside again. Darn! But I can squeeze back in just before Jimmy and, more importantly, not too far behind the lead car. I *gun it* going into the straight - we all know that having the lead here at Monza isn't always an advantage and so does mr. Hill... The plan works. I schwing out of the slipstream, take the lead and hurl it into the Curva Grande! There's nary a hair's breadth between my inner wheel and the curb, but Graham's behind this time. Here's where Greger's setups pay off, I can keep on the gas and get away just a tiny bit going into Lesmo 2. Please let me get a good exit for once..! But the Lotus has good traction there, more than my usual Ferrari ride, and I speed out fairly well, gaining another couple of inches on Graham and Jimmy, still close behind. I'm actually in the lead now! Braking for the Parabolica is a problem again but I can just keep the speed up. Normally getting a good exit without too much sliding or wheelspin there is an exception, but whahey, I even manage to do it twice in a row. Hurtling down the straight I make sure those two Lotus aces can't properly get into my slipstream (no way boys, not this time!) and roar trough Grande to gain a couple of inches going into the Lesmos again. ('Now don't screw this exit up again or they'll be in yer slipstream going into Parabolica and it's all fer nowt!') Phew, good acceleration again, they're not gaining, still only small black shapes in my mirrors! I make sure I take it a little bit easy into the final set of curves, (remembering all the times I didn't and slid off in the last lap..), ease through Parabolica so that the Lotus can accelerate really smooth and efficient one last time... Finally, the finish comes into view... Tension mounts, in GPL I've *never* been first onto the last finish straight before. To make darn sure I don't blow up that @#$! sensitive Lotus engine I even get off the gas a bit into the final couple of yards. Jimmy and Graham are still several car length's behind. Checkered flag - and I've won my first race in Grand Prix Legends! It's been a long time coming for a slowpoke like me, but the satisfaction of winning in this sim is unlike any other, I guess. It's the purest form of racing challenges. Well, that's my story of today. I'm going to sleep now. Three GPL goals in one session: Life doesn't get much better than this ;) Regards, Rudy

"Ruud Dingemans" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:as1tif$9qt$[email hidden]... <snipped excitement> Hehe...yup...I don't know why, but GPL is honestly the only racing game where I ever felt any sense of accomplishment, period... Milhouse

Congratulations! Well written story....so when do we get to see the replay? Hunter

"Ruud Dingemans" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:as1tif$9qt$[email hidden]... > It's been a long time coming for a slowpoke like me, but the > satisfaction of winning in this sim is unlike any other, I guess. It's > the purest form of racing challenges. > > Well, that's my story of today. I'm going to sleep now. Three GPL goals > in one session: Life doesn't get much better than this ;) Well done Ruud! Great race report too ;-) Malc.

"Ruud Dingemans" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:as1tif$9qt$[email hidden]... > Wow, I just had the best GPL evening I *ever* had since getting it. > Finally managed to get several targets, at once, including the best one > of all (short of becoming World Champion, that is)! > Congrats Ruud. I think the sense of fulfillment that comes from GPL is that it doesn't give up it's treasures easily. When you finally have won something, it's a real victory. Well done laddie. dave henrie --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.422 / Virus Database: 237 - Release Date: 11/20/02

>Well, that's my story of today. I'm going to sleep now. Three GPL goals >in one session: Life doesn't get much better than this ;) > >Regards, Rudy Cool write-up! Congrats! Eldred -- Homepage - http://www.umich.edu/~epickett GPLRank:+6.19 N2002 Rank:+18.91 Never argue with an idiot. He brings you down to his level, then beats you with experience... Remove SPAM-OFF to reply.

>Well, that's my story of today. I'm going to sleep now. Three GPL goals >in one session: Life doesn't get much better than this ;) Yes it does, wait untill you discover sex :) Andre

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] (Andre Warringa) wrote: > Yes it does, wait untill you discover sex :) Agreed, but GPL never leaves you. Important consideration IMO. Hang on, does that sound bitter? No? Better rewrite it till it does then ;o) Andrew McP

On Wed, 27 Nov 2002 18:52:26 +0100, Andre Warringa <[email hidden]> wrote: >Yes it does, wait untill you discover sex :) It's no GPL! Jason

Ruud Dingemans <[email hidden]> wrote on 27 Nov 2002: > Wow, I just had the best GPL evening I *ever* had since getting > it.<snip> Congratulations :-) A great report, too. -- Above address *is* valid - but snip spamtrap to get me to *read*! 1) The GPL Scrapyard: http://www.btinternet.com/~gplscrapyard 2a) Bits'n'Bob-stones: http://www.geocities.com/daveb75 2b) WD Yahoo! Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/watershipdown

Ruud, Great race report! Congrats!! I know my biggest problem is being consistent throughout an entire race. BTW have you gotten F1 2000 CS for Mac yet? The demo works just fine on a PowerBook G4 with a Momo wheel. Can't wait for Christmas! Jim Ruud Dingemans wrote:

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> Wow, I just had the best GPL evening I *ever* had since getting it. > Finally managed to get several targets, at once, including the best > one of all (short of becoming World Champion, that is)! > > The adventure starts with resetting my el-cheapo non-FF wheel... > > ..which wasn't set right, so that my tires were always locking up > under braking. At long last I was able to calibrate it so that it > practically gave no lockups at all. This means every yo-yo in a BRM > can outbrake me, but it's better than veering left-and-right and > fighting to keep the car under control for every other turn... > > So, hop in the Lotus with Greger H's settings and head for the Glen. I > ain't no hotlapper at all, but after some tries beat my previous so-so > PB of 1:07.57 into a smashing (well, for this Joe Average ;) 1:06.59. > > Hurray, broke my second Papy benchmark after Monza! (Ok, > earth-shattering it ain't but it would've been enough to put me in 3rd > on the real 1967 grid.) > > In every other racing game, this would mean little, but this is GPL > and we all know how 'easy' this is when it just happens you're not an > alien... > > Great! Now, on to Monza and see if the new wheel setup helps to keep > control into Lesmo and Parabolica. And it does. After some tries I get > my 1:29.92 down into 1:29.80. Now let's see if I can qualify a bit > higher on the grid as well... > > Whaddaya know, 1:29.62 and that leads to mah first pole as well! Jeez, > I can't seem to do anything wrong this evening. (Usually I manage to > to that quite well... ;) I immediately quit GPL and lock my > monza.svg file to make sure I don't have to start all over again next > time. After some tries - and failures, of course - it seems I can > *just about* stay in the Lotus's slipstream if I get a good start... > Slipstreaming efforts on lap 2 also get my PB down into 1:29.59 > (woohoo, nice bonus inbetween spins and parking lotsa Loti into bushes). > > Unfortunately, unlike real life those darned two Lotuses of messrs > Clark & Hill always get just-about-perfect starts and beat me on > take-off every time. > > After several tries I manage to figure out where Greger's setups make > my lowly Lotus just a smidgen faster than those two (one or two > curves). That should come in useful.. Here's another try, another > start... > > Darn, and another crappy getaway. It's not too bad but Clark & Hill > are gone again and Black Jack manages to pass me as well. Luckily, the > Lotus is just a bit faster than the Brabham at Monza and I sling past > him going into the Curva Grande. This is where Greger's setup pays off > and I can even get fairly close behind the Loti into the Lesmos. > > Get a good exit there for a change and go slipstream behind Clark! Not > too close though, I've made *that* mistake before plenty of times... > Turning onto the straight going to Parabolica, I slingshot my car out > of the 'stream, passing Clark, passing Hill... > > Unfortunately, the higher speed and somewhat meagre braking power due > to my wheel setup result in me sliding wide somewhat and Graham passes > me on the inside again. Darn! But I can squeeze back in just before > Jimmy and, more importantly, not too far behind the lead car. I *gun > it* going into the straight - we all know that having the lead here at > Monza isn't always an advantage and so does mr. Hill... > > The plan works. I schwing out of the slipstream, take the lead and > hurl it into the Curva Grande! There's nary a hair's breadth between > my inner wheel and the curb, but Graham's behind this time. Here's > where Greger's setups pay off, I can keep on the gas and get away just > a tiny bit going into Lesmo 2. Please let me get a good exit for once..! > > But the Lotus has good traction there, more than my usual Ferrari > ride, and I speed out fairly well, gaining another couple of inches on > Graham and Jimmy, still close behind. I'm actually in the lead now! > Braking for the Parabolica is a problem again but I can just keep the > speed up. Normally getting a good exit without too much sliding or > wheelspin there is an exception, but whahey, I even manage to do it > twice in a row. Hurtling down the straight I make sure those two Lotus > aces can't properly get into my slipstream (no way boys, not this > time!) and roar trough Grande to gain a couple of inches going into > the Lesmos again. ('Now don't screw this exit up again or they'll be > in yer slipstream going into Parabolica and it's all fer nowt!') Phew, > good acceleration again, they're not gaining, still only small black > shapes in my mirrors! > > I make sure I take it a little bit easy into the final set of curves, > (remembering all the times I didn't and slid off in the last lap..), > ease through Parabolica so that the Lotus can accelerate really smooth > and efficient one last time... Finally, the finish comes into view... > Tension mounts, in GPL I've *never* been first onto the last finish > straight before. To make darn sure I don't blow up that @#$! sensitive > Lotus engine I even get off the gas a bit into the final couple of > yards. Jimmy and Graham are still several car length's behind. > Checkered flag - and I've won my first race in Grand Prix Legends! > It's been a long time coming for a slowpoke like me, but the > satisfaction of winning in this sim is unlike any other, I guess. It's > the purest form of racing challenges. > > Well, that's my story of today. I'm going to sleep now. Three GPL > goals in one session: Life doesn't get much better than this ;) > > Regards, Rudy >

SSAISS wrote: > Congratulations! Well written story....so when do we get to see the replay? Um... You mean anyone would actually be interested? ;) I saved it, of course (at least something to show my future grandchildren, hehe) Now I've only got a floppy disk drive to get anything out of this old pc and that won't fit, so I gotta figure out another way then (the pc isn't connected to the Internet btw, the Mac is my main machine) BTW, is there a tool to convert GPL replays into let's say AVI's or QuickTime movies? Then I could play it on my Mac and have happy thoughts of way back when ;) Regards, Ruud

David Buttery wrote: >>Wow, I just had the best GPL evening I *ever* had since getting it. > Congratulations :-) A great report, too. Thanks David (and the others who replied). Just for completeness' sake, I was running F1 Pro Short/no driving aids/damage on realistic, of course. (Locked down the Global Hype though else I'd never ever be able to catch anyone, they'd always be faster as I sped up... GPL is hard enough as it is.) Drove around Monza again a bit today and noticed how easy to drive the Lotus (!) is now on Greger's setup. I used to have to fight it into every corner, and now I am suddenly able to get it to go where I want. Not locking up the wheels any more seems to make all the difference, I can now even brake a bit going into corners (used to spin me off real quick), and all driving assists are still off... ..so if there's anything to be learned from my story, I'd say that calibrating your wheel/stick in such a way that you're rarely if ever able to lock the wheels under braking, even if it does mean the brake distance is a bit longer, really really makes things a lot more controllable for us non-aliens. Regards, Ruud

The Carvalho Family wrote:

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>Ruud Dingemans wrote: >> Lotus engine I even get off the gas a bit into the final couple of >> yards. Jimmy and Graham are still several car length's behind. >> Checkered flag - and I've won my first race in Grand Prix Legends! > Great race report! Congrats!! I know my biggest problem is being > consistent throughout an entire race.

Trust me, you're not the only one - and even the computer drivers don't manage to do so all the time ;) That's why I only do short races, it's just too frustrating to turn in dozens and dozens of laps just to have a sudden sneeze or itch or ringing phone have you throw away all your efforts. Not to mention that during passing the AI *sometimes* back off and give some room when you're already ahead a bit, and sometimes they don't (yikes crash aargh & lots of "you bloody @#%*$"!!). > BTW have you gotten F1 2000 CS for Mac yet? The demo works just fine on > a PowerBook G4 with a Momo wheel. Can't wait for Christmas! Got the demo, still waiting for the game tho. Notice they suddenly just about doubled the system requirements (500 MHz G3 and one Gig of HD space!!) Regards, Rudy

What is the secret to calibrating so that you don't lockup? "Ruud Dingemans" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:as49gg$pru$[email hidden]...

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> David Buttery wrote: > > >>Wow, I just had the best GPL evening I *ever* had since getting it. > > > Congratulations :-) A great report, too. > > Thanks David (and the others who replied). Just for completeness' sake, > I was running F1 Pro Short/no driving aids/damage on realistic, of > course. (Locked down the Global Hype though else I'd never ever be able > to catch anyone, they'd always be faster as I sped up... GPL is hard > enough as it is.) > > Drove around Monza again a bit today and noticed how easy to drive the > Lotus (!) is now on Greger's setup. I used to have to fight it into > every corner, and now I am suddenly able to get it to go where I want. > > Not locking up the wheels any more seems to make all the difference, I > can now even brake a bit going into corners (used to spin me off real > quick), and all driving assists are still off... > > ..so if there's anything to be learned from my story, I'd say that > calibrating your wheel/stick in such a way that you're rarely if ever > able to lock the wheels under braking, even if it does mean the brake > distance is a bit longer, really really makes things a lot more > controllable for us non-aliens. > > Regards, Ruud >

"Ruud Dingemans" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:as48d9$lhu$[email hidden]... > SSAISS wrote: > > Congratulations! Well written story....so when do we get to see thereplay?

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> > Um... You mean anyone would actually be interested? ;) > > I saved it, of course (at least something to show my future > grandchildren, hehe) Now I've only got a floppy disk drive to get > anything out of this old pc and that won't fit, so I gotta figure out > another way then (the pc isn't connected to the Internet btw, the Mac is > my main machine) > > BTW, is there a tool to convert GPL replays into let's say AVI's or > QuickTime movies? Then I could play it on my Mac and have happy thoughts > of way back when ;)

I think GPL2AVI is what you are after. Check out http://jason.speedgeezers.com/html/movies.html for some examples (try 'Lost Control') and a tutorial I think.

"Joe Blow" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:6aiF9.17027$[email hidden]... > What is the secret to calibrating so that you don't lockup? > I guess squashball under the brake pedal unless you have a high end pedal set. Squeeze real hard when you calibrate. Don't squeeze quite as hard when you're driving. Jone.

Congrats Ruud...and a great yarn too! Glenn

On Thu, 28 Nov 2002 16:00:30 -0000, "Nick" <[email hidden]> wrote:

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>> BTW, is there a tool to convert GPL replays into let's say AVI's or >> QuickTime movies? Then I could play it on my Mac and have happy thoughts >> of way back when ;) > >I think GPL2AVI is what you are after. Check out >http://jason.speedgeezers.com/html/movies.html for some examples (try 'Lost >Control') and a tutorial I think.

Don't forget Fraps. www.fraps.com. It lets you record too. Run fraps in the background, run gpl at 640x480, and hit F9 to start recording. -- karkrazy AT softhome DOT net http://karkrazy.m4driving.sm

Nick wrote: >>BTW, is there a tool to convert GPL replays into let's say AVI's or > I think GPL2AVI is what you are after. Check out I'll hunt for it. Thanks Nick! Regards, Ruud

Joe Blow wrote: > What is the secret to calibrating so that you don't lockup? <Sigh> I wish I knew... I have no universal method, I'm afraid. It was lots of trial and error really... But once it was set right, it really made a difference. Once you find it though, lock your control.cfg file to make sure it stays there... Putting some foam under the pedal made things feel better, too. Regards, Ruud

"Ruud Dingemans" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:as76mv$k5n$[email hidden]... > I'll hunt for it. Thanks Nick! I'll save you the time: http://genlyai.m4driving.sm/index.htm