My Computing Project - Assistance Required

Hello there

I am an A2 Computing student at Widnes 6th form college and I've decided to incorporate the gpx series into my coursework project by writing a program for gp3/gp4. The best idea that I can think of is to make a results manager that would import the txt files from gp3/gp4, process them to calcuate points and statistics, automatically update profiles and (if i have enough time to implement it) export to a htm file for easy website maintanence.

However, for the documentation side of my project I would need real users of this program...and since I'm making it I cant be one, lol. So i was wondering if some people would like to help me out here and provide their opinions on what I would need to include in this program (so that it is suited to a 'real user' and also people that would be willing to test it out for me at different stages of its development .

Many thanks
-Fincent

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Circuit Thermalito

Liverpool Waterfront Circuit (WIP)

How about making a program that allows you to add extra teams into the game? ;D

H E L L O

If only it was that easy, lol, i think everyone has dreamt of doing that. But seriously though, if anybody want to help me out then go for it all you need to do is have your say on what you would want a season manager to incorporate really. If not, lol, then i'll have to find something else to use for my project...but I know that this program could get me a rlly good grade so I hope i dont have to change my idea .

-Fin

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Circuit Thermalito

Liverpool Waterfront Circuit (WIP)

I guess the main thing would be the statistics...

where each driver finished, and the points they get (if any), same for the teams

fastest laps

i suppose there'll be some unusual statistics you could make up too

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Hi,
Firstly, Id die to do A2 computing, my school did if at AS level only, and I got an A

Sounds like a great idea to incorperate the GPx Series into computing stuff , I have a done a similar thing (Though not for a school project) I wrote a program in VBA that enables you to enter the fastes lap of a track into the software, and then enter the 2nd persons time. It will then turn it into a value that you can enter in teameditor to get realistic performance Spread between the drivers

hehe great fun. Anyway I don't know what I would want in a "Session Manager" as the one thats available for Gp4 is very complex and its all to much effort than its worth to me. Maybe make a simple layout with simple stuff like you said, average laptime for race, maybe average laptime for entire season! and points etc.

I "May" be able to help test / contribute, but I am doing A2's and am quite busy.

Thanks

Wills

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Heya there, after a few days getting my planning and stuff done I've started to create the bare bones of the program in Microcost Visual Studio. If you want then I can post screenies for you of what I'm thinking of putting into it and also how its looking so far . I'm thinking of leaning towards a gp3 orientated program though as I have alot more experience in it instead of GP4 but if the "print to file" results are the same in GP4 as GP3 then it should also work perfectly for both games.

Check Back and Let Me Know What You Think
-Fincent

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Circuit Thermalito

Liverpool Waterfront Circuit (WIP)

What could be a useful program is one allows the addition of extra tracks to be incorporated in a seasons results spread sheet.

By this I mean that if I run this new program, it would automatically read the current points standings for all drivers/constructors and display it like a spread sheet. But it would also have space in it for the new tracks (in correct order of course). Then the user could enter the results from their 'extra' races at the new tracks into the spread sheet and it would of course then add these results into the totals.

This program would always have to check the current season results at each runtime to ensure it's up to date.

Simple enough I would have thought...

Regards,

Mr Pibb.

I'll help test it if you want....sounds good...that way i can use the excuse with the missus that GP4 is 'educational' :P

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Have you seen the GP4 Lapper software available, it's pretty spot-on and does all that you've mentioned. It's available on this site I think, the software was great and gave various bits of info about stats, split times, speeds, etc.

The guy writing was a great help too, he added lots of info as was requested.

Hope this helps.

Steve.

what language are you using to create the program in visual studio.. basic , c++?????

Daniel,

I have just done A2 Computing and got an A - my coursework at A2 was 93%. What I will say is that you have picked a hard subject to base your work upon. The coursework really has emphasis on sound documentation of reseach, implementation, development, analysis of data, your source code and evaluation. It also implies that the program should be worked on a real world situation. You would find it hard to provide data on some areas with it being based upon a game and editing it.

What I suggest is look at this idea extremely carefully. Firstly the assessment at no point looks at the program in it's entirity; they'll never see it working. You need provide excellent documentation and prove the program works and is of high quality. I strongly suggest that you do not do something for GPx. The time involved creating parsers and looking into the file format really does not justify an A2 project.

My project was a simple affair - a booking system for computer's coming into a shop to be repaired. Simple idea - all is required is user input and calculations for the bill. It uses MS Access and requires you to use VBA - bread and butter stuff. OK boring, but it got me an excellent grade. Don't do stuff you don't have to! It's hard work writing documentation on simple stuff let alone GPx.

When GP4 came out I wrote TexEditor - that took me a long time to get right even with help from Sven Mitlehner who provided me with source code on Tex Files and handling. I would have hated to document it and tidy the code up for an A2 project. The choice is yours but being fancy never gets your marks. Often you miss crucial points ending up in a sh** mark. Get the mark scheme and have a mooch through and see what you need to do!

Any problems gimme a shout.

Best of luck
James Knopp

@ Mr Pibb : This program would allow the addition of extra races. Basically i'm thinkin of making it so that you can import as many races as you want and the code will just accumulate points from all of the imported races and work out the championships and various stats from there .

@ GLD : Thanks, lol, i'll need all the testing help I can get. It might require you write a few things ie. how easy/difficult you found the program to use etc (the the purposes of having proff of a real user in my documentation). But I think you might have to kid the missus for a lil longer cos this might take a while to make only having access to the software in college time :P.

@intweb : I cant really say I'm a big GP4 user, my system totally disagrees with it lol. I'll take a look at the program you mentioned and its probably miles better than my project can ever be and do lots more than mine ever will. But the objective isnt for me to make it super efficient and super useful, I just thought it'd be nice to incorporate something I enjoy into my work and see what you guys think. And on that note...

@jimbob1 : I'm using microsoft visual studio and as far as i know we're programming in VBScript...lol, but my teacher can get confused sometimes and doesnt know what the hell he's going on about.

@jamesknopp : I understand what you're saying completely the best way to get a good grade is to work to what the exam board is asking for. I've taken onboard your advice on keeping it at a manageable size and i'm considering only having "import, export and view" modes. This would include importing results from the txt files that the game creates, viewing them as processed (races, championships and some basic stats) and then being able to export them either as a txt file, a printout or possibly into a html template for easy website management. However, once i know i dont need to do any documentation and it's all sent off then i'll work on the extra features that we'd all love such as detailed statistics .

Thanks for your help with this and please keep it all coming, lol, as I will be. I have a free period tmrw so i intend to take my USB in and bring some screenies of the program home as it is in its very early phases now.
-Fincent

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Circuit Thermalito

Liverpool Waterfront Circuit (WIP)

So you're writing a .vbs? For coursework? Interesting, myself and my dad are quite often writing .vbs scripts to get simple things done (him for work, me because I can ).

I have a dream.....
Imagine this.... A Formula1 Manager program with GP4 as the actual RACE weekends.
An entire front end in the typical Manager style game if you have ever played one in the past. Has a ton of Business contacts and engines and driver names from pools that are step up based on contract you strive for over time or offers.
Once these things are decided upon, Cars.wad gets generated with what ever body style your team selects etc. Drivers are selected and bid or won or what ever over in the same manner. like I said, cars.wad gets generated, the drivers experience levels and abilites are devived in some manner and input through the allready existing tools created for GP4. Then you run the race weekend, either driving yourself or watching via the TV screens. Maybe there could be a way to allow CC cars to be tweaked during the race to simulate the team boss saying PUSH PUSH etc. Race is won or whatever. Points tallied by taking the save file of the race results that could be read back into an outside program. Then the team goes on with the weekly activities as in a typical manager sim. It would be incredible.

Salute
Schaller

I think someones been playing to much Grand Prix world

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As promised, here are those screenies i told you i'd get . Let me know what you think so far.











Keep in mind that this is still just a basic idea
-Fincent

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Circuit Thermalito

Liverpool Waterfront Circuit (WIP)

looks good.
we need something like this as the default championship set up is not so good. especially with csm and track specific things.
for instance if you use the 1979 set lauda is replaced by zunino for the last 2 races, so in the standings zunino gets laudas points too.
so hopefully yours will have more than 22 slots, so lauda and zunino for instance would stay seperate

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Tony

Its all good. keep me posted on whats happening....my email is sicknote999@hotmail.com if u want to mail me, or PM me

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