26 replies to this topic

[ThrottleBlib]

I raced in the F2 league, just came upon a familiar name:

 

http://alison.hine.n...-archive-98.htm

 

I started (demo!) with a joystick.. didn't work out too well, purchased a wheel with pedals, best online experience of my life. 

Remember the Aliens, like Hutu?

 

Never used Iracing, but my guess is that some DNA from GPL is still present?

 

[PayasYouRace]

iRacing would be familiar to anyone who’s raced Papyrus sims. GPL was their second main game engine, which was then adopted in the “mainstream” series from NASCAR Racing 4 onwards.

 

I’m not sure if the iRacing engine is based on that directly or if it was a new build, but it has the Papyrus heritage.

[jpm2019]

Love this game. Was pretty good with a -60 ranking. Ring in 7.54. Glen 1.03.5. Best game ever. Miss it sometimes but it's to addicting. 

[noikeee]

iRacing still feels insanely slippery with some cars, so yeah, there's absolutely some of the same code underneath still. I re-subbed earlier this month and quickly gave up.   I think Huttu's still around there!

 

GPL was one of its kind (although I only found out about it many years later, around 2008 or so), but there's still plenty of options around to drive historical cars if you want to, in more modern sims.  My top recommendation for historical racing recreation is Assetto Corsa, but I think there's a Lotus from the 60s in both rFactor 2 and iRacing too.

[blackmme]

If you only have a current gen Console and fancy some 1960’s action then Project Cars 2 has the Lotus 25, 49 & 49C also a Lotus 40 & 59 (the 59 is a hoot).

 

Regards Mike

[ThrottleBlib]

Thanks, all! 

 

Before GPL from Papyrus there was Indy 500, I loved the 'analogue' movement one could get with a mouse.. That was on a souped up Amiga 500 (GVP A530):

https://bigbookofami...duct.aspx?id=68

 

2000 guilders, there about..

(Penske was OP.. )

[MaxScelerate]

Ohhh, played a lot of GPL around 2001-2004 ...  League play, because VROC's "Lotus at Monza" was getting tiresome.

 

I was in one of the numerous leagues hosted at racesimcentral.com (league was named Mybroga, by the way).  I wasn't very fast (GPLRank around EDIT: More like -5, not -30. I remembered wrong...) so I was in the D, C divisions (I don't think I ever made it to B).

 

Good times!

Edited by MaxScelerate, 28 April 2021 - 02:37.

[Nemo1965]

I have it installed and running on my Windows 10 machine... and with all kinds of machinations by third parties, able to use it with my Logitech with shifter. (Just read it with eyes of your times in Windows 95. Insane. Insane!) Still very difficult, but not as difficult with the joystick. But the 1968 F1 cars from Assetto Corsa pretty much have the same behaviour and of course better graphics. But perhaps I will play it some next months. Thanks for the reminder!

[ThrottleBlib]

Ohhh, played a lot of GPL around 2001-2004 ...  League play, because VROC's "Lotus at Monza" was getting tiresome.

 

I was in one of the numerous leagues hosted at racesimcentral.com (league was named Mybroga, by the way).  I wasn't very fast (GPLRank around -35) so I was in the D, C divisions (I don't think I ever made it to B).

 

Good times!

 

Ah, '67 Monza.. Lesmo 2 was the only corner that really counted ;)))  (and Parabolica)..    

Had a world record with the Murasama (Honda) there (F2..)

Lotus was King everywhere, my fav car was the Cooper, though,..

 

Logitech 27 was my poison, before that the Logitech Momo.

[Hati]

 "Lotus at Monza" was getting tiresome.

 

It was only combination I drove since it was only one where I stayed on track for the whole lap. (And only single player.)

[MaxScelerate]

Ferrari or Cooper were easier to keep on track ;)

[ThrottleBlib]

Ferrari or Cooper were easier to keep on track ;)

 

Brabham was (just as Lotus) not as easy, IIRC. 

Honda had tremendous understeer!  Needed quite some tweaking regarding diff from what I recall. 

BRM was a tank.. 

..I miss VROC, despite the warping.. but we're talking 1990's. 

I had ISDN, but I 'purchased' that for Quake, not for GPL.. dual ISDN was great for hosting, though!

[Myrvold]

I actually spent a lot of time in the Eagle before moving to Brabham. I've often planned to spend some time on Nürbs to try to get my GPLRank into green, but it's so easy to think about it, but getting to the point where I fire up the game again seems harder

 

[ThrottleBlib]

Tried to log in to GPLrank, forgot my password, obviously..

Monza 1:28.. is that with F1?  

 

I did that with F2 Cooper, sorry! 

 

From long lost memory I did a 1:26 with Ferrari F1, wish I had access to my lap times.. 

 

I'm talking vanilla, no mods, and a Momo racing wheel.. actually a Micro Sidewinder (that one had great feedback for GPL!)

Edited by ThrottleBlib, 24 April 2021 - 04:11.

[Myrvold]

Tried to log in to GPLrank, forgot my password, obviously..

Monza 1:28.. is that with F1?  

 

I did that with F2 Cooper, sorry! 

 

From long lost memory I did a 1:26 with Ferrari F1, wish I had access to my lap times.. 

 

I'm talking vanilla, no mods, and a Momo racing wheel.. actually a Micro Sidewinder (that one had great feedback for GPL!)

 

That's F1 yes, the original GPLRank, original cars or original tracks. 1:26 with Ferrari? The verified world record on GPLRank is 1.26.922 with a Ferrari, so that's quite an amazing time!
I never was great at GPL, but it was and is really fun!

[ThrottleBlib]

That's F1 yes, the original GPLRank, original cars or original tracks. 1:26 with Ferrari? The verified world record on GPLRank is 1.26.922 with a Ferrari, so that's quite an amazing time!
I never was great at GPL, but it was and is really fun!

 

Yeah, not sure about the 1:26 with Ferrari.

I'm sure I'm wrong, I'm not an alien! 

 

1:27 sounds about right, I just googled my (forgotten) handle, and came upon this page:

https://gplrank.schu...,1&transform=87

 

I've tried to retrieve my password through the site you've linked, but to no avail. 

All it says is that the name 'Rick Hagen' is registered. 

 

From (faulty) memory.. 1:30x at Monaco with Lotus F2, I'm sure I've submitted that time and replay to GPLRank. 

 

I miss the GPL racing, even though racing with Rfactor was objectively better. (less warping).

[Hati]

actually a Micro Sidewinder (that one had great feedback for GPL!)

So that's why I sucked at it, my Sidewinder lacked force. Phew, and I thought it was a lack of skill. (I think that I tried it with Gravis Analog Pro joystick too, which was surprisingly good at some early driving games.)

[ThrottleBlib]

So that's why I sucked at it, my Sidewinder lacked force. Phew, and I thought it was a lack of skill. (I think that I tried it with Gravis Analog Pro joystick too, which was surprisingly good at some early driving games.)

 

Damn, THE Gravis:

http://www.computing...g Pro Joystick/

 

I couldn't afford that one (not for racing but intended for Flight Sim).

 

Just as hardcore as a decade earlier the Kempston joystick was for the zx Spectrum:

https://upload.wikim...rsion_45deg.png

 

When I mentioned the microsoft Sidewinder, I meant the wheel, not the joystick, though!

https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/1300239363

[Hati]

When I mentioned the microsoft Sidewinder, I meant the wheel, not the joystick, though!

https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/1300239363

I thought that goes without saying in this thread. I still have the Sidewinder wheel, haven't had a computer with game port for some time and can't sell the wheel to some retro hobbyist. (Someone probably would get it if I donated it but if you give stuff for free it's too likely that it will go to some hoarder that just throws it away at some point.)

[ThrottleBlib]

I thought that goes without saying in this thread. I still have the Sidewinder wheel, haven't had a computer with game port for some time and can't sell the wheel to some retro hobbyist. (Someone probably would get it if I donated it but if you give stuff for free it's too likely that it will go to some hoarder that just throws it away at some point.)

 

Sorry, I thought because you said you had no force feedback you must have used a joystick. 

The wheel ( pedals!) were 'low' quality compared to the competition, but the FF with GPL (and NASCAR 2003) was outstanding. 

And don't give it away; I think it's more precious than the MOMO.. haven't looked up the selling prices, though.  

 

Edit, not sure if my game was NASCAR 2003 or 2004.

Edited by ThrottleBlib, 26 April 2021 - 09:22.

[wati]

Here's mine. Good days.

 

https://imgur.com/moYVj9X

[Frood]

I've still got the second best GPLrank in my age group (was #1 for a few years). That was despite adding two years to my age so people would take me a little more seriously (usually the other way around in motorsports!)

I was ~12 when I started to work on my GPLrank.

Edited by Frood, 26 April 2021 - 21:34.

[mahelgel]

I started off my papyrus career with indy500 first on the Amiga 500 then a little bit after i converted to PC, and i loved the "analogue steer with the mouse" option. Also played Indycar 1 and 2 (prefered the handling of the first one actually)  before ending up spending a lot of time with GPL...

 

As ThrottleBlip in the OP i also started with a joystick, (a CH Mach 1) and i didn't really "upgrade" to pedal and wheels until i was almost done with my GPL career, and i never got to the same level with a wheel as i was with the joystick. My driving style in GPL required so many tiny correction that i didn't manage to do with the wheel

 

Here is the joystick... since it uses a "gameport" that is not longer supported in windows (think windows XP was the last version of Windows that supportet the game port)

The buttons are separate, so i had on button for upshift and one for downshift. the smal joystick made it easy to do lots of quick corrections, and my driving "technique" was heating up the tiers to the melting point within a few laps

 

 

My GPL rank was pretty ok, not exactly alien-like though  Shame i never broke the 8min mark on the Nurburgring, but i'm pretty happy with most of my lap times. Perhaps Monaco and Watkings Glen are closest to the really fast drivers

 

Been a long time "sponsor" of Iracing, mostly driving test sessions and not really using my subscriptions worth, but lately i have done a few races again, and thinking of dedicating a bit more time to it and perhaps restart my online racing career  Still, to get better requires  quite a bit of time and dedication...

[Tenmantaylor]

Raced GPL loads, online on DSL 1mbit modem, online races via VROC, often got 10ms ping back then due to no one having "broadband"! Loved it, raced in UKGPL Championship and World Championship where I drove the Honda which I loved driving, rear heavy, lots of power. Never enjoyed the Lotus even though fastest. Eagle at Spa, Ferrari at the Glen, Cooper at the ring and Mosport.

[mahelgel]

Raced GPL loads, online on DSL 1mbit modem, online races via VROC, often got 10ms ping back then due to no one having "broadband"! Loved it, raced in UKGPL Championship and World Championship where I drove the Honda which I loved driving, rear heavy, lots of power. Never enjoyed the Lotus even though fastest. Eagle at Spa, Ferrari at the Glen, Cooper at the ring and Mosport.

 

At first i was on an ISDN line, can't remember the ping though... but later when i was on ADSL it got much better, only problem my line was quite unstable so i had my share of disconnects (and, oh the rage against my incompetent internet provider that could not find anything wrong with my line   )

[Tenmantaylor]

I was with Pipex. Don't think over the years even though up/down speeds have increased massively, ping and uptime/stability havnt improved much.

[jpm2019]

Can't find my real GPLrank account. Only have one with a -58 ranking with a 7.58 lotus times at the ring. Still some good memories. Like trying to go sub 8 with a brabham, which i never did (8.01.08)