Is GP4 the game for me?
Posted by dustbinF1
Hi guys, first post and I wondered if you could help me out.
I used to play all the F1 games on Playstation1/2 but somehow they've been getting worse each year. The latest one for ps2 (f1 06) I've had for 6 months and it's appalling:
Stupidly twitchy, I actually find it impossible to go down the straight in a straight line!
No safety car (was in F1 99!!!)
Penalties are cut revs not drive thrus (
)
A.I. don't have a clue on earth how to race i.e. overtake
Otherwise it's generally rubbish anyway
So I stuck to GT4 on ps2 for many years (as F1 05 and 04 and....were bad aswell)
Then I heard there were really good F1 games on the PC and they had mods, so I'd only have to buy one every 5 years or so. rFactor was the first I saw, but at closer inspection there is no variable weather the A.I are rubbish, and a lot of the mods are really poor apparently. I only really want to play historic seasons offline, so the online capabilities of a game don't really appeal that greatly, and the A.I do.
F1c just looks really old.
GP4 looks in the lead, but there is just a few gripes I have about GP4 and I hoope you could shed some light on the matter, and see if this really is the game for me.
No safety car...is in rFactor!(unfixable, I know, but still hacks me off)
Sounds really hard to get the mods working and stuff, not just download and install
Limmited track and team count. This will seriously affect seasons like 79 when there are normally 19 teams! Are there any other limits like number of laps in each race are fixed to the origional or something?
I imagine the point system is 2002, so no top 8 drivers points, or submit best 11 results, but is this available in any other game anyway? I would just do this myself in Excel but still.
Similarly the qualifying is probably unchangeable from the 2002 model, so I ask, is there any game with qualifying methods relevant to each season? Does rFactor have qualifying?
I take it being an actual F1 game, it supports stuff like flags, penalties, refueling and tyre strategy etc which, I don't know - rFactor doesn't? But also I take it these rules are specific to 2002 as well.
The variable weather, can it change in race, so start dry and then start raining? If not the no rain in rFactor has less of a hit.
Mods look of equal volume as rFactor, but I hear GP4 are of higher quality...Good.
Also it sounds very difficult to drive, I could just about complete GT4 100% the hardest thing being driving mission 34 (took I think 35 attempts ish), would I cope with GP4?
Basically, there are a small number of very damaging things wrong with rFactor and possibly a large number of sleightly damaging things in GP4. But is GP4 still the game for me?
p.s. I will be playing with a wheel, hearing of keybord users shocks me! (no offense keyboard dudes)
___________
Justin
"When a man holds you round the throat, I don’t think he has come to apologize."
Ayrton Senna (1960 - 1994)
Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 05/18/2009 05:50PM by dustbinF1.
I used to play all the F1 games on Playstation1/2 but somehow they've been getting worse each year. The latest one for ps2 (f1 06) I've had for 6 months and it's appalling:
Stupidly twitchy, I actually find it impossible to go down the straight in a straight line!
No safety car (was in F1 99!!!)
Penalties are cut revs not drive thrus (
)A.I. don't have a clue on earth how to race i.e. overtake
Otherwise it's generally rubbish anyway
So I stuck to GT4 on ps2 for many years (as F1 05 and 04 and....were bad aswell)
Then I heard there were really good F1 games on the PC and they had mods, so I'd only have to buy one every 5 years or so. rFactor was the first I saw, but at closer inspection there is no variable weather the A.I are rubbish, and a lot of the mods are really poor apparently. I only really want to play historic seasons offline, so the online capabilities of a game don't really appeal that greatly, and the A.I do.
F1c just looks really old.
GP4 looks in the lead, but there is just a few gripes I have about GP4 and I hoope you could shed some light on the matter, and see if this really is the game for me.
No safety car...is in rFactor!(unfixable, I know, but still hacks me off)
Sounds really hard to get the mods working and stuff, not just download and install
Limmited track and team count. This will seriously affect seasons like 79 when there are normally 19 teams! Are there any other limits like number of laps in each race are fixed to the origional or something?
I imagine the point system is 2002, so no top 8 drivers points, or submit best 11 results, but is this available in any other game anyway? I would just do this myself in Excel but still.
Similarly the qualifying is probably unchangeable from the 2002 model, so I ask, is there any game with qualifying methods relevant to each season? Does rFactor have qualifying?
I take it being an actual F1 game, it supports stuff like flags, penalties, refueling and tyre strategy etc which, I don't know - rFactor doesn't? But also I take it these rules are specific to 2002 as well.
The variable weather, can it change in race, so start dry and then start raining? If not the no rain in rFactor has less of a hit.
Mods look of equal volume as rFactor, but I hear GP4 are of higher quality...Good.
Also it sounds very difficult to drive, I could just about complete GT4 100% the hardest thing being driving mission 34 (took I think 35 attempts ish), would I cope with GP4?
Basically, there are a small number of very damaging things wrong with rFactor and possibly a large number of sleightly damaging things in GP4. But is GP4 still the game for me?
p.s. I will be playing with a wheel, hearing of keybord users shocks me! (no offense keyboard dudes)
___________
Justin
"When a man holds you round the throat, I don’t think he has come to apologize."
Ayrton Senna (1960 - 1994)
Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 05/18/2009 05:50PM by dustbinF1.
Hi DustbinF1,
Well, beside the fact GP4 is surely one of the best F1 game ever, it has its age : 7 years without any official update (and no doubt he will never got some).
So yes it's not perfect, it's not flexible (to add/remove teams as rfactor), doesn't have a true online mode and doesn't handle safety car but it really has some of the best car AI and weather system around, a descent render engine and a strong community creating few but great mods.
Now, coming back to your questions:
Safety cars : It's impossible without rewriting game code and we can't.
Mods hard to install : Yep, each mod is different, mods are barely download-install-and-play. You often need an additional tool like CSM and you can encounter some troubles before getting mods working. With time, you get use to this but it's annoying for newcomers for the least.
Limits : there are definitely limits. I don't know them all. You can change lap number but I don't know up to what point.
point system : All point systems can be handle (even points for all). Just download Rewards on my site (my banner is clickable).
Qualifying : I don't know too much about this. I heard tweaker was affording some qualifying rules but I doubt it could handle every qualifying rules from 79 to date (and I dunno for rFactor).
Rules : flags are more or less the less since ages.
Penalties in GP4 are only some loose time when shortcutting corners. It's based on car speed and the maximum speed can be tweaked to your will. It doesn't handle bad moves penalties anyway.
pit strategy could be tweaked afaik for your car and AI cars, I don't know either up to which point (not sure you can force a specific AI car to change for soft tyres even if it's raining).
Weather : GP4 has the best weather I ever see. you can set rain to none or to any strength. then game will randomize rain fall. rain can start at any time in the race, it can fall only on some part of the track. track will slowly become wet, staying dry for some time in tyre lines, and then if rain stops, it will dry up starting from tyre lines to the full track. Oh and you can also simulate water drops on your helmet.
Mods : There are many mods, yes. And some surely have the best quality around as many other games teams are converting GP4 material to their game.
Difficulty : There are 5 difficulty modes from rookie to pro and tons of settings to manage other AI cars to run your speed or the speed you want to deal with.
A game for you : I can't tell. for older seasons, I would suggest you to try GP Legends which was expressively designed for old formula era. Physics are very good and there are very good mods too.
PS: You can play GP4 with any controller but GP4 is surely handling keyboard better than any other racing game so it's not a shame to play with it.
Greetings.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/03/2009 11:42AM by Lo2k.
Well, beside the fact GP4 is surely one of the best F1 game ever, it has its age : 7 years without any official update (and no doubt he will never got some).
So yes it's not perfect, it's not flexible (to add/remove teams as rfactor), doesn't have a true online mode and doesn't handle safety car but it really has some of the best car AI and weather system around, a descent render engine and a strong community creating few but great mods.
Now, coming back to your questions:
Safety cars : It's impossible without rewriting game code and we can't.
Mods hard to install : Yep, each mod is different, mods are barely download-install-and-play. You often need an additional tool like CSM and you can encounter some troubles before getting mods working. With time, you get use to this but it's annoying for newcomers for the least.
Limits : there are definitely limits. I don't know them all. You can change lap number but I don't know up to what point.
point system : All point systems can be handle (even points for all). Just download Rewards on my site (my banner is clickable).
Qualifying : I don't know too much about this. I heard tweaker was affording some qualifying rules but I doubt it could handle every qualifying rules from 79 to date (and I dunno for rFactor).
Rules : flags are more or less the less since ages.
Penalties in GP4 are only some loose time when shortcutting corners. It's based on car speed and the maximum speed can be tweaked to your will. It doesn't handle bad moves penalties anyway.
pit strategy could be tweaked afaik for your car and AI cars, I don't know either up to which point (not sure you can force a specific AI car to change for soft tyres even if it's raining).
Weather : GP4 has the best weather I ever see. you can set rain to none or to any strength. then game will randomize rain fall. rain can start at any time in the race, it can fall only on some part of the track. track will slowly become wet, staying dry for some time in tyre lines, and then if rain stops, it will dry up starting from tyre lines to the full track. Oh and you can also simulate water drops on your helmet.
Mods : There are many mods, yes. And some surely have the best quality around as many other games teams are converting GP4 material to their game.
Difficulty : There are 5 difficulty modes from rookie to pro and tons of settings to manage other AI cars to run your speed or the speed you want to deal with.
A game for you : I can't tell. for older seasons, I would suggest you to try GP Legends which was expressively designed for old formula era. Physics are very good and there are very good mods too.
PS: You can play GP4 with any controller but GP4 is surely handling keyboard better than any other racing game so it's not a shame to play with it.
Greetings.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/03/2009 11:42AM by Lo2k.
>> No safety car
No SC, but it is a race, not a parade
>> Sounds really hard to get the mods working and stuff, not just download and install
No, the biggest myth in GP4
Mods are very simple one-click installation jobs. Just install CSM (Carset Manager) and then download and install the mods (some are here: [www.gp4db.com])
>> Limmited track and team count.
Only 11 teams, but most decent mods have an option to choose which 11th team you want.
With TSM you can have unlimited tracks available.
>> Are there any other limits
Number of laps is limited (for now) to 127 and track length to about 7km
>> point system
Can be anything you want, and easy to edit with CSM
>> qualifying
There is a 2004(?) qualifying tweak with GP4Tweaker which enables one car per lap qualifying
>> flags, penalties, refueling and tyre strategy
Yes, mostly although you'll need GP4Tweaker & CSM to get the most out of it.
>> weather, can it change in race
I think so
>> Mods ... GP4 are of higher quality...Good.
Much better
>> Also it sounds very difficult to drive
I've no idea bout GT4 but GP4 has 5 levels and Ace can be pretty hard, and you can easily make it harder
>> But is GP4 still the game for me?
Yep, for sure
____
Tony
No SC, but it is a race, not a parade
>> Sounds really hard to get the mods working and stuff, not just download and install
No, the biggest myth in GP4
Mods are very simple one-click installation jobs. Just install CSM (Carset Manager) and then download and install the mods (some are here: [www.gp4db.com])>> Limmited track and team count.
Only 11 teams, but most decent mods have an option to choose which 11th team you want.
With TSM you can have unlimited tracks available.
>> Are there any other limits
Number of laps is limited (for now) to 127 and track length to about 7km
>> point system
Can be anything you want, and easy to edit with CSM
>> qualifying
There is a 2004(?) qualifying tweak with GP4Tweaker which enables one car per lap qualifying
>> flags, penalties, refueling and tyre strategy
Yes, mostly although you'll need GP4Tweaker & CSM to get the most out of it.
>> weather, can it change in race
I think so
>> Mods ... GP4 are of higher quality...Good.
Much better
>> Also it sounds very difficult to drive
I've no idea bout GT4 but GP4 has 5 levels and Ace can be pretty hard, and you can easily make it harder
>> But is GP4 still the game for me?
Yep, for sure
____
Tony
mclarenaustralia Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> > Q: do you have to uninstall a mod to install an
> > other?
>
> Not if your using CSM otherwise yes.
Yep, CSM is some sort of very handy mod manager...many mods can be installed with one click once you have downloaded them (www.gp4db.com) and when you lanuch this tool a mod is loaded by replacing the original game files. Once you leav the game everything is restored to original...so you can have as many mods you want.
As said before, GP4 is not really friendly for beginners as they might experience some troubles, but once you get used to it and understand how it works it is no problem anymore.
And if you use CSM and it works properly then you don't even have to worry about it
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/03/2009 12:37PM by Ruboy.
-------------------------------------------------------
> > Q: do you have to uninstall a mod to install an
> > other?
>
> Not if your using CSM otherwise yes.
Yep, CSM is some sort of very handy mod manager...many mods can be installed with one click once you have downloaded them (www.gp4db.com) and when you lanuch this tool a mod is loaded by replacing the original game files. Once you leav the game everything is restored to original...so you can have as many mods you want.
As said before, GP4 is not really friendly for beginners as they might experience some troubles, but once you get used to it and understand how it works it is no problem anymore.
And if you use CSM and it works properly then you don't even have to worry about it
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/03/2009 12:37PM by Ruboy.
GP4 can be tricky for newbies. Take a look at the GP4FAQ pinned topic for starters. The bulk of which is contributed by this community, and if you want to to know something and can't find the answer, come and ask. Welcome to the site.
[www.mediafire.com] Some say you should click it, you know you want to. [www.gp4central.com] <----GP4 Central
[www.mediafire.com] Some say you should click it, you know you want to.
[www.gp4central.com] <----GP4 CentralGot a G25, my advice: get one! Well worth the money. Wipes the floor with the old PS2 one I hooked into the PC
+ as someone who only started playing GP4 recently, after years of playing Grand Prix 3, GP4 is surprisingly easy to edit. The fact that all the car files essentially go into one file/"wad" means you can switch between entire seasons pretty easily. GP3 used to be hell, probably partly down to my system of upgrading
+ as someone who only started playing GP4 recently, after years of playing Grand Prix 3, GP4 is surprisingly easy to edit. The fact that all the car files essentially go into one file/"wad" means you can switch between entire seasons pretty easily. GP3 used to be hell, probably partly down to my system of upgrading
dustbinF1 schreef:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If I do go for GP4, rFactor is less than £10, so
> for touring cars online or something, it's
> probably worth getting both.
I getting GP4 is worth it for shure, but getting one of the SimBin games is worth it too I think. I have GP4, GTR2, Race 07, GTR Evo and STCC and I like editing GP4 and I drive in a league whit Race 07 and his addons and that is really funn. Driving in public servers can be done, but some people just take their car and they are hittin other people and your race is screwed.
-------------------------------------------------------
> If I do go for GP4, rFactor is less than £10, so
> for touring cars online or something, it's
> probably worth getting both.
I getting GP4 is worth it for shure, but getting one of the SimBin games is worth it too I think. I have GP4, GTR2, Race 07, GTR Evo and STCC and I like editing GP4 and I drive in a league whit Race 07 and his addons and that is really funn. Driving in public servers can be done, but some people just take their car and they are hittin other people and your race is screwed.
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