GPL etc

[D_Mike]

Hi everybody

I used to play GPL when it first came out and did a couple of online races, I've recently discovered pistonheads and it (was) destroying my degree, but thats done for the summer so now I don't need to worry. Anyway, I am going to be getting myself a shiny new PC and a broadband connection so I am seriously up for playing GPL again - Am I right that you guys have regular online races? So really there are two questions i would like answering if you are amenable to that: 1) do i need to look out for anything in particular when buying a pc from the point of view of GPL running ok? (i want to play newer games too so it has to be a decent spec). and 2) what wheel/pedals would you recommend? Is force feedback worth the bother or does it just make you slower?

thanks

[FourWheelDrift]

D_Mike said:

: 1) do i need to look out for anything in particular when buying a pc from the point of view of GPL running ok? (i want to play newer games too so it has to be a decent spec).

GPL is mainly CPU hungry, not really graphics card hungry. I run an AMD Athlon XP2400+ (2.1gh Pentium equivalant) with a NVidia GeForce4 MX 440 graphics card and 512mb of ram. And I can run at 1600x1200 without problems.

D_Mike said:

2) what wheel/pedals would you recommend?

I use a MOMO Racing Force Feedback wheel. Fully adjustable FF settings you can set them to match your PC or preferred handling.

D_Mike said:

Is force feedback worth the bother or does it just make you slower?

It is worth the bother, the Force Feedback in GPL is one of the best.

Yes it does make you slower, if I turned it off I'd be about 2 secs a lap faster

[D_Mike]

Thanks for the quick and nicely detailed response

has anybody tried one of these? it looks quite intriguing I think and it would certainly be fun having to shift properly in GPL:

www.act-labs.com/scripts/proddetails.asp?pid=79

its made especially for GPL as well it seems. I suppose you would need three pedals however...

[diver944]

I have a Celeron 2.6ghz with only onboard graphocs and it runs GPL just fine

I believe one of the other racers (AJLintern) in our little PH championship has a proper shifter. The advantage is even greater when you spin a lot and can then go straight to 1st or reverse without having to sequentially change all the way down the gears

[AJLintern]

Yep I've got the shifter, though not used it for a few months due to the the inevitable spring failure (must get round to ordering some new ones ) It does make it more immersive and enjoyable but takes a little while to get used to as you have to match the revs when changing down the gears to prevent locking the rear wheels!

[paolow]

AJLintern said:

Yep I've got the shifter, though not used it for a few months due to the the inevitable spring failure (must get round to ordering some new ones ) It does make it more immersive and enjoyable but takes a little while to get used to as you have to match the revs when changing down the gears to prevent locking the rear wheels!

have you got a 3 pedal setup or is it a clutchless change?

[AJLintern]

No, just got the standard Logitech Wingman FF pedals. There is a utility that can stop you selecting a gear unless you use the clutch - it makes a grinding noise if you do!
What the shifter does do though is remove the throttle 'blip' that you normally get when using paddle shifters - so you have to match the revs manually, which adds to the realism

[paolow]

cheers aj - sounds pretty swish ill keep an eye out for any s/h shifters while i work on my braking - i really do need to get it so i dont lock up at every corner

[FourWheelDrift]

Are you locking up the fronts under braking or the rears as you brake/change gear?

[Rob P]

AJLintern said:

No, just got the standard Logitech Wingman FF pedals. There is a utility that can stop you selecting a gear unless you use the clutch - it makes a grinding noise if you do! What the shifter does do though is remove the throttle 'blip' that you normally get when using paddle shifters - so you have to match the revs manually, which adds to the realism

Do you need to match on upchange aswell?

How does it affect your laptimes?

[AJLintern]

Rob P said:

Do you need to match on upchange aswell? How does it affect your laptimes?

Much like a normal car, matching revs when changing up is not really an issue.
Lap times are pretty consistant once you get used to it, as quick as using the paddles. There are occasions where the shifter gives you an advantage though, mainly when slowing down a lot for a tight corner you can go straight to the gear you want. This also helps when recovering from a spin - straight to reverse

[paolow]

FourWheelDrift said:

Are you locking up the fronts under braking or the rears as you brake/change gear?

fronts - locking the rears would mean spin time for paolo . i think its partly to do with the way i set my car up and partly to do with my technique. it is, however, something i really do need to address as its hurting my times.

i like to set my car up so that its very stable under braking which tends to lead to a forward brake bias to stop the rear end twitching around. it also means that when i outbrake myself into a corner i can trail brake and get round much easier. thus, more work is being done by my fronts.

also, i know that the most successful races i have are ones when i dont crash or blow my engine. to that end im careful to avoid overrevving it on downchanges and that leads the fronts to do even more work.

with my technique, what is significant is that i have found that stamping on the brakes at every corner provides a constant from which i can draw on. ie, i know that with locked wheels, i can nail the same braking point every time and every time the braking force will be exactly the same. - it also gives a stable brake - you can be way out of shape on the way in, but lock your wheels and you can usually get away with it

the trouble is, now that ive got used to it, i cant stop doing it, and the funny thing is that i seem to be the only one that does. if you watch a replay of a race you can always spot my eagle

while im here, how the hell do you guys drift the cars? i find them just too sensitive to be able to so!

oh yeah - my pedals (ms sidewinder) dont help - the spring on the brake is pretty soft and doesnt give much feel. ive tried squash balls, half tennis balls etc under it, but not found anything yet that works.
whew! did that answer the question?

>> Edited by paolow on Thursday 3rd June 14:30

[forever_driving]

Wonder if anyone can help me with a techinical issue.

I've just upgraded my PC to a 3GHz processor and a new Radeon 9800 Pro. Booted up GPL and now I'm driving around the track at 400mph... it's very amusing but not fun. I've got the patch for machines over 1.7Ghz but it still runs super fast. Anyone else experience this? Know what to do? Any help appreciated

[FourWheelDrift]

forever_driving said:

Wonder if anyone can help me with a techinical issue. I've just upgraded my PC to a 3GHz processor and a new Radeon 9800 Pro. Booted up GPL and now I'm driving around the track at 400mph... it's very amusing but not fun. I've got the patch for machines over 1.7Ghz but it still runs super fast. Anyone else experience this? Know what to do? Any help appreciated

Sounds as thought the speed fix hasn't been run or worked.

I'd do a re-install and use the all-in-one patch from here http://trackdb.d2g.com/all-in-one.asp

[FourWheelDrift]

paolow said:

FourWheelDrift said: Are you locking up the fronts under braking or the rears as you brake/change gear? fronts - locking the rears would mean spin time for paolo .

What is your current brake bias normally set at?

I'm guessing around 55%, lessening it to stop the fronts locking up will depend on how you brake. You can set it lower but if you brake you may have to keep some throttle still on to stop the rear coming round. Left foot braking if you don't already do it

Best thing to do is experiment, pick one circuit and try out different settings. To help here are 2 sites with a good range of setups which I have used but still been able to modify.

www.jigmania.de.vu/
www.sim-replays.de/