The '66 mod for Grand Prix Legends is out...

JRS

JRS

JRS

Soldato
Joined
6 Jun 2004
Posts
19,891
Location
Burton-on-Trent
...and boy is it good. The seven chassis limit has been extended somewhat, so now we can have multiple models of Ferrari, Lotus, BRM, Cooper, McLaren, Honda on track at the same time. The car list is as follows (I think....hope I didn't miss one).
  • Brabham BT19 3.0L Repco V8
  • Brabham BT11 2.5L Climax 4-pot
  • Brabham BT11 2.7L Climax 4-pot
  • Brabham BT11 2.0L BRM V8
  • BRM P83 3.0L H16
  • BRM P261 2.0L V8
  • Cooper T81 3.0L Maserati V12
  • Eagle T1G 3.0L Weslake V12
  • Eagle T1F 2.7L Climax 4-pot
  • Ferrari 312 3.0L V12
  • Ferrari 246 2.4L V6
  • Honda RA273 3.0L V12
  • Lotus 43 3.0L BRM H16
  • Lotus 33 2.0L Climax V8
  • Lotus 33 2.0L BRM V8
  • McLaren M2B 3.0L Ford/Serenissima V8
Add to those, the fact that some cars have late and early season iterations. For example, the Ferrari 312 has a couple of different versions (the exhausts changed as the engine changed internally) and the Cooper nose got shortened.

The physics engine has seen another revelation for this mod. After the '69 mod introduced downforce, this new one has brought in high-speed lift and an enhanced slipstreaming code. It also offers up a change in how the engine physics deal with race engine characteristics. Gone is the completely smooth running over the whole RPM range - now each engine will run rough low down, as they should. It'll mean a different philosophy in setting gear ratios, as you have to make 1st gear much shorter to keep the RPMs up. Which means you'll get more wheelspin. Which means you have to be a bit more careful booting it out of a hairpin (not that GPL has ever been easy in that regard....:D). Idle speeds have also been increased to a rather more realistic level. The sounds have been designed to help the simulation of rough running as well, and the mod really does sound rather good :)

Hard to believe that GPL is nine years old now, and nothing has come along that can even touch it. Most of the modern sims can boast more complex physics engines, more complex sound, more complex visual damage, more complex AI, more complex visuals....yet GPL is still getting work like this produced for it, is still for sale via Mastertronic (used to be called Sold Out Software), and still has much more in the pipeline - CanAm, sports cars, front engined '30s and '50s GP cars....Here's to the next nine years.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to take a Ferrari 312 around Reims. The new slipstreaming model just shines there :D

***edit***

Apparently, after all these years I'm still a tad incompetent at this 'posting on forums' lark. Link to the mod site added properly this time....
 
Last edited:
Have a look on the RaceSimCentral forums - I believe there a thread in the GPL section about getting it working on 64 bit machines.
 
timbob said:
Have a look on the RaceSimCentral forums - I believe there a thread in the GPL section about getting it working on 64 bit machines.
Click to expand...


Cheers!
I've copied the whole CD onto one of my drives & patched it So now it loads to the player selection screen but it wont save my settings presumably because in the the properties tab for the folder the games in, it's listed as read only......Troubble is when I clear the box & save it still shows as read only if i re-open the properties for the folder! :confused:
 
The relevant section of text, buried in the hardware/troubleshooting FAQ thread:

The player name is corrupted, inaccessible or you get the message "driver file can't be saved"

This seems to be caused by a mismatch between the directory name and the name stored in the player.ini, plac56.ini etc file.
The tidiest solution:
1) Just fix the player name in player.ini so that it matches the folder's player name.
If that doesn't work:
1) Copy all player folders to another location
2) Go into GPL and delete the problem player
3) Re-create the player with the same name.
4) Copy in the important files from the backup like the setups, PB times from the player.ini (this is probably the file with the errors however) and control.cfg (or just re calibrate the controls in-game).
 
Sussed it! Because I copied the contents of the CD into a GPL folder I didn't have a 'Player' folder, so I just created one & it saves ok now. still having a few graphic problems with the different views though
 
Bought this game years ago for bro but he didnt play it, so i tryed it, one really hard to control game (stock but patched officially). I couldnt ever complete a lap lol. So never played it again. By now tho, theres lots of fun games like LFS, TDU, Sega Rally new one etc. So i dont miss it.
 
SkeeterPSA said:
Bought this game years ago for bro but he didnt play it, so i tryed it, one really hard to control game (stock but patched officially). I couldnt ever complete a lap lol. So never played it again. By now tho, theres lots of fun games like LFS, TDU, Sega Rally new one etc. So i dont miss it.
Click to expand...

How dare you!!! :p ;)

GPL is awesome, I played literally not a single other PC game for about 3 years between 1998 and 2001. I raced in the UKGPL League for a season or so, and used to be able to post laptimes within about 104-105% of the world record times. Which isn't too bad! Not as good as some on here though.

Not played it in years now though, I've missed the '65 and '69 mods... I may reinstall and see if I can get it working again!
 
I never really found GPL anything special really. To be fair i had been playing LFS for ages so it was lost on me a bit. It is an amazing game to go out and just have a laugh, but i dont find it all that difficult. Ive made sure ive got all the aids off and on the hardest thing, and i can do laps pretty consistantly. I span out a few times the first few times i used it obviously but never found it to be the 'killer never complete a lap' nightmare that people made it out to be.
 
If you've played LFS with some of more powerful cars, you'll be right at home. When GPL came out 9 years ago, the most realistic thing on the market was probably Geoff Crammond's GP2. Or Nascar2. GPL was the first sim to implement physics realistic enough to spin the car by just putting your foot down in a straight line, let alone trying to accelerate out of corners. Which is why some people find it very difficult - they expect a 400bhp 60s F1 car to drive just like their everyday hatchback, and complain the sim is too hard when it doesn't.
 
Would some one be so kind to put up some screen shots moded please ? would love to see what she looks like now,i have a copy some place so may give it a go.

Or a link to some screen shots moded maybe ?

many thanks jay.

ps and any chance of it going 1600* 1050 ? :D maybe not.
 
.one. said:
Would some one be so kind to put up some screen shots moded please ? would love to see what she looks like now,i have a copy some place so may give it a go.

Or a link to some screen shots moded maybe ?

many thanks jay.
Click to expand...

Some lightly edited shots in the mod site gallery - linketty link.

***edit***

As for running at 1600 * 1050, I think Guru has a little tool that works quite well. Posted at RSC in this thread.
 
It's when I read threads like this that I cuss the fact that when I tidied my shack back in Easter that GPL was one of the games I stashed in the loft. I doubt I'd be able to find it easily. I know it's there, I'd never chuck it but I have no idea where it is :(
 
Going to have to get this.

Still my favorite sim of all time. I think I've played them all (well a lot anyway) and GPL just has something the others don't. I think it's mainly the era they based it on, the cars, the sound they made (and make with the awesome mods), the danger, the tracks. Just before F1 went commercial with sponsorship. Truly the golden era of the sport. I don't really rate F1 much at the moment, there is much better racing out there, but even though I'm only in my mid 20's F1 during the late 60's and early 70's stands out among all eras of other motorsports IMO.

And being consistent on your own isn't all that difficult. Being consistent AND fast over a race distance is the challenge.
 
Although I have a copy of GPL & use that, you can also download the demo & add mods & tracks etc which is handy if you don't already have a copy of GPL.

Its one way of saving hours digging for GPL in the bargain basket.....;)

Best demo of GPL to look for is the ready modded GPL 2004 demo. :)

http://www.bhmotorsports.com/GPL/downloads
 
For those wanting screenies - some more have been posted in the RSC forum.

Examples:

86q3fj6.jpg

6kjpb0y.jpg

8fbjn6h.jpg



Old girl still looking good after nine years!
 
Hi i have a problem when i play the game i have a little screen in top left corner showing just about a fifth of the screen any one else have said prob .

Tryed at different res and same problem also does it in the res fix some one gave.

TV play back is ok thou it's when you go to cockpit view ie: when you try to play.

I used the auto installer which is available 71 meg > installs updates e.t.c GPL.

cheers jay.
 
To be fair, those aren't the most flattering of screenshots to show GPL in all it's glory. The trackside objects aren't the best looking in the world, but some of the cars still look pretty good, even today.

GSC_013.jpg


GSC_019.jpg


Okay, they have some blurring and finer tyre smoke added - but the cars themselves look good to my eyes. Especially considering the game engine is getting on for 10 years old.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom