2003 cars

I am having more than a bit of trouble installing 2003 cars to my GP4. I tried a downloaded 'complete' 2003 set but the Minardis and Saubers were completely white and the Toyotas looked like scrambled Minardis. So I tried installing some single cars (that look perfectly good in the provided screenshot) only to find numbers back to front, in the wrong place and sometimes there is no texture at all!
Maybe one of the more gifted can explain to me what I'm doing wrong?

First of all, you must understand the file structure, then you'll now what are you doing wrong;

Cars are usually available in zip or self-install packages, and once you unzip them, you shoud find several tex files, and the same number of hi_tex files.

You should also find *.gp4 files, if carshape is included, and there should be 10 or 12 *.gp4 files.
If there are only 2, then you must do the following:
If the name of the file is car_1_lod_0.gp4 or something like that, you have to copy it 5 times, and rename them so you have all the names from car_1_lod_0.gp4 to car_1_lod_4.gp4.
Same thing with 2nd car, car_2_lod_0.gp4 to car_2_lod_4.gp4.
If you don't do that, then the cars might be very strange from far distance.

If your car is white, then you obviously messed up installation. It might be that car is crap though. See if it has "great" icon on download page.

Cars and textures are stored in cars.wad in your GP4 folder.
Decompile cars.wad, using GP4 master into one temporary folder. You'll find there several folders with lot of files. You'll also find one "cars" folder there, and it's exactly there where you should unzip all custom made cars.
If it asks to overwrite some files, say yes, and when you're finished, recompile all that back in cars.wad, with GP4 master. Consult GP4master readme file to see how to work with wad files.

Some cars are coming as self-install package, and you just point to your GP4 folder, and that's it.

If you follow this procedure, you really shouldn't have problems.



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Bojan Tarticchio

do some cars need 1.02 or does it not matter?

It doesn't matter.

I forgot to mention one other thing:
GP4master works only with GP4 v1.0, but if you use it to update graphics you can fool it this way:

Before you update your GP4, be sure to save your decrypted gp4.exe v1.0 somewhere else, and once that you've updated your GP4 to version 1.02, put it back, under different name, example gp4old.exe. Now you have two gp4.exe in your GP4 folder.
Now, when GP4master asks for GP4 path, point to gp4old.exe.
You will use new GP4.exe to start the game of course.
You can only work with GP4master's wad and texture editor this way, don't try to edit performances.

One other thing that is good to know:
All helmets are also stored in cars.wad files EXCEPT team no5 (original BAR 1st and 2nd driver) and team no10 (original Minardi's 2nd driver ONLY)
These 3 helmets are located in your GP4/cars folder, and if you want to update them, then you should overwrite them there.



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Bojan Tarticchio

Hi,

Thanks for the great info Bojan. How do you use some of the custom liveries available? Can you use other car shapes with various textures?
For example: Say I wanted to incorporate the new Holden livery car, but I want it in the place of the Arrows Team. How can I do that, or can it even be done?

Also how can TGA files be edited with various paint programs? Do I need to convert the TGA file somehow?

Thanks,

BTW I love your cars they are a real breeze to install.

Matti

You should read carefully readme files for every fantasy cars. It is very likely that fantasy cars are using some well known custom carshapes from some 2003 single cars packages. Eric's and Duco's Jordan and BAR are very popular these days because they have texture tempaltes included.

It usually works like this: you must install this 2003 car first, and then overwrite it's textures with new fantasy car's textures.
Example, Holden uses Eric's BAR.

Every car (team) has diferent texture layout, and you can't mix them. You can't use Ferrari's texture for Jaguar shape, even if you rename them.

I'm not sure what happens with Holden-to-Arrows; first you must rename all shapes for Arrows slot. I think name should be car_1_arrows_lod_X.gp4, or something like that. I'm not sure what happens then, but I think it still wants BAR textures. There are two ways how to fix that:

1-using hexeditor - never tried, very complicated for average user, in theory you change the required texture name which shape is searching for. If you would like to try it anyway, go on GPxCarpainting (link down) and there's a hexeditor FAQ somewhere, made by Max Downforce

2-using Zmodeler and material editor. Just rename bar textures to arrows names, and reload them in material editor. If you did it right, you should see it in 3d window.

*if carshape is locked, and it can't be opened with Zmodeler, use GP4genius to open it and then resave it. Now you should be able to import it in Zmodeler*

Of course, this is just the info, in reality is a little bit more complicated than that.

Now, if you succesfuly did all that, there's another problem. Helmet position is fixed for each team slot, and if you change the shape, it's very likely that helmet won't be where it should be.
Arm colors, t-cam view and rim colors are also fixed for each team, but it's all solved now and it should be editable with some upcoming editors.


TGA files are editable as they are in all better paint programs. GP4 uses textures in *.tex file format, and it's easily converted to *.tga and viceversa with GP4master and other tex-editors.



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Bojan Tarticchio

Bojan,
Well done m8. We should get this as a "Sticky" and call it "How to do it all!" It'd save all those "Use the search button" answers!!
I've been doing this for donkey's now but I've even copied your answers so I don't need to remember so much....lol!
Jackie





....................I quite like this now.

I can't work out if I'm lazy or stoopid, but all the above looks very complicated.

Is there such a thing a a full set of 2003 cars with an eejit-proof self installer that I can just double click on and magically update everything?

If not, I'll stick to the 2001 cars to be on the safe side.

Ali

It is complicated

A group of designers, including me, is developing 2003 cars, and eventually they'll all be released in a single package, probably a cars.wad + anim.wad files which you should just copy in your GP4 folder. Performances will be loaded through GPxPatch. Easier than that...

We're still expecting few editors, including Total GP4 by Jon, and it'll be much easier in the future, don't worry.
GP5 won't be released so soon, so I guess we'll have enough time to crack this game totally, as GP2 once.



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Bojan Tarticchio

Hi

Thank you bojan. The information is great.

Example, Holden uses Eric's BAR.

Just to be confusing my car dosent look all that good with eriks original
carshape... i had him remap it a little for me

Thanks for the info. Very much appreciated.

I'm still having a slight problem with the Toyotas and Minardis.
I have made sure the toyotas are to overwrite the prosts and minardi to minardi, but it seems both cars want to use the min_1.tex min_2.tex and min_3.tex.
Meaning I get either 4 toyotas or 4 minardis on my grid depending on which cars files it take min_1.tex etc from.
Can anyone help?

Who's cars are this?



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Bojan Tarticchio

wow, after all the times i asked for help with the exact same thing someone finally answers my question, when someone else asks it.

lol, maybe people just dont wanna help me.

anyway, most of that makes sense, so thanks from me too. still ,im not too confident, and its like you say, gp5 isnt exactly round the corner so there is time, and i am prepared to patient. also, i need a better pc :p



TAX DODGER