Looking forward for a new source for GP4 tracks

OK, I don't really know if this has been discussed before, but I think that this is interesting enough for the GP4 community to discuss.

I've been recently messing up with other driving simulators such as rFactor or GTR2 and as a part of that messing I've noticed that there is a really astonishing number of tracks (maybe *the majority* of the tracks available to those sims) being shared between simulators. It's not only a thing between rFactor and GTR. There is also lots of track sharing between ToCA Race Driver 2 and 3, Grand Prix Legends, Nascar Racing 2003 and so on. Some are great, some don't, some might require permissions form the authors, some might be copyrighted material, etc, but there are really nice works out there and the effort will surely pay off. GP4 tracks are also being shared between all of those sims, but GP4 is receiving no tracks in exchange.

So, these are my thoughts about it: Now that, thanks to LO2K, we have a well stablished tool for track editing in GP4, it might be really interesting to add GP4 to that existing track commerce between simulators. I know that jimbob1 did a tutorial showing a (relatively) straightforward procedure to convert TRD tracks to GP4 and that there is already an Oulton Park from TRD2 and Road America from TRD. If it is posible for TRD tracks, then it will also be posible for rFactor, GTR, GPL and so on, given that those sims are already sharing tracks.

Being said that, I'd like to ask to the very knowledgeable and track editing capable people here for that little bit of research that is needed in order to obtain (relatively) straightforward procedures to convert tracks from all of those sims to GP4 and write tutorials like the aforementioned one from jimbob1. This might mean that people that is now doing nothing (because, like me, don't have the required skills to edit tracks for GP4) can get moved to populate our GP4 installations with tracks. I think that it will be nice.

Regards.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/06/2007 07:12PM by Benedictus.

yes it is possible. also from f1ch. If you know how to import from TRD1 2 3 then you'll be able also to import from rF. But converting a track is a long work...

The track formats of tracks for ToCA Race Driver 2 and 3, Grand Prix Legends, Nascar Racing 2003, GTR 1 & 2 and rFactor are compatible with each other due the use of the same kind of graphics engine.

Conversion of tracks between the above sims is somewhat 'easier' and 'less time consuming'.

The graphics engine of GP4 is outdated on some points, but most importantly, the graphics engine of GP4 is not compatible with the above sims.

As a result you're only able to convert the graphical side of a track of the above sims to a GP4 track, so you still must create the physical side for the GP4 track to match the graphical side.

This is very time consuming, hard work and to be honest, it can be very boring. Also you must make some concessions to make it work ingame. This sounds de-motivating , but if you keep the end result in mind it will pull you through the dull moments.

At the moment i'm converting Zandvoort 1967 and the old Österreichring from rFactor to GP4, maybe some people think it is cheap to 'port' a track from a sim to another sim, but in this case it's (almost) the same as creating the tracks from scratch.

---

My Grand Prix 4 Files
I'm a total dick. How many people can say that?

right turbolover
The only thing that make the work "easier" than a built from scratch track is the possibility to work with a track layout and altimetry and 3d structure jet done
it's boring... But see the track in gp4 is a good satisfation :D

32BOBO32 schreef:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The only thing that make the work "easier" than a
> built from scratch track is the possibility to
> work with a track layout and altimetry and 3d
> structure jet done


You're 100% right about that, full worship from me to people who can create a track from scratch which is almost/somewhat 100% accurate to the real track.

Very pleased to see that more and more people are starting creating tracks for GP4 and with every improvement of GP4 Builder more people are encouraged to make tracks and the quality will also be higher.

---

My Grand Prix 4 Files
I'm a total dick. How many people can say that?