![]()
|
![]()
|
|
By Marc Lachapelle - Special to the Toronto Star
It was a course on which he had never set a wheel, let alone raced before. And Spa is simply one of the fastest and most difficult racetracks on this planet.
Yet, with his usual deadpan delivery, he explained that his trump card had been - a video game.
Lo and behold: pole position conquered with the help of a video game. Formula One will never be the same.
Mind you, it was not just any video game but the most intricate and sophisticated of the moment.
It is called Grand Prix 2 and was created by a British outfit called Microprose. It is, logically, the sequel to Grand Prix 1, a game that already had quite a following itself.
SLOT RACERS REBORN
But the game's aficionados, and they are legion around the world, resent the expression video game. They call them simulators, or ``sims,'' for short. Simply put, they are the slot car races of the '90s.
Some of you might remember that thriving, almost underground world of slot car racing in the '60s and '70s. Heck, I still have my 1/32 scale, ``scratch-built'' Can-Am cars. Retro being what it is, slot racing is even making a comeback in some countries.
But today's hottest games are virtual. Nintendo kids and kids-at-heart wield joysticks and control pads with as much intensity as those who stroked the plunger-equipped controllers of slot racers.
You can still have huge fun with commercial games. Some of the more recent ones are just amazing, but they do not offer the power, complexity and almost maniacal realism of GP2, the present-day King of Sims.
I visited a knowledgeable fan of the game for an explanation, a demonstration and eventually a short but humbling turn at the controls of GP2 in full-power regalia.
Christian Philippe spent a few years and quite a bit of money on real car racing (solo, hillclimbs, etc.).
He now describes himself as a ``frustrated racer'' but is quite involved in racing with electrons.
This passion started way back, with a game called Night Driver, which he ran on his Atari 600 computer in the early '80s. ``All you could see were two rows of light bars coming at you. It made you dizzy after a while.''
The day after the Belgian Grand Prix, Philippe got a phone call from one of the producers at Réseau des sports (RDS), TSN's French-language affiliate station, where he works as an editor.
``I had often suggested a piece on racing simulators. It took Villeneuve's pole position (to get them interested), but now, they wanted it right away.''
Philippe had pretty much mastered GP1 at the time and looked forward to tackling GP2. The game was finally released last spring, after long delays and much speculation.
He rushed to buy a copy but also to find equipment more powerful than his trusty but outdated 386 PC to run it. A few phone calls later, he had connected with an outfit called Powermind and soon after, he had put together the dream machine.
``We specifically configured this one to optimize the speed and detail of complex video games.''
The machine in question is a Pentium PC clone with a clock speed of 166 megaHertz and 32 megabytes of RAM. Price: around $2800. ``We found that the most critical component is the video card,` he said.
After some testing, he and the people at Powermind found that there was nothing to gain in getting a computer chip running faster than 166 mHz. The key was a $500 video card called Matrox Millenium.
``I was surprised to see that the numbers to call this company all started with 514. It is made in Montreal.''
With this equipment, GP2 can run at its PC best, ``because everything in this game is built from aerial photographs; there is just too much stuff in Monaco, for example, for even the best PC.''
The minimum configuration for GP2 is a 486 processor running at 66 mHz.
Philippe also hooked up a Thrustmaster 1 wheel and pedal cluster to his new PC. He then installed a pair of buttons on the wheel's horizontal spokes to shift with the thumbs.
Neat touch. He also built an ingenious frame with black PVC tubing to hold the wheel up to proper height and keep the pedals (brake and accelerator) in place.
The pedal cluster is adjustable in relation to the seat. Philippe first bolted his creation to a real red Momo racing seat, but that was for the TV piece - ``it gets uncomfortable quickly.''
He then went out to a scrap . . . I mean an automotive recycling firm and picked up an immaculate 1992 Accord seat for a pittance. No belts or racing harness is needed, though. Just kidding.
Comfort is important, because serious video racers follow the virtual Grand Prix season in real time. GP2 will take you very literally through a full season in Formula One if you choose so. Complete with full warm-up and qualifying sessions.
RATHER MIND-BOGGLING
If you crash out or suffer virtual engine failure, you can punch the game into accelerated mode or turn spectator and hop in with any of the 25 other entrants, with a choice of 12 ``camera angles''.
Full replays are also accessible, for all entrants.
The game's thoroughness and complexity are rather mind-boggling. I will not even attempt to describe, let alone explain car setups, race strategy, advanced settings or the finer points of driving virtual cars.
I must say that, after spinning out quite a few times in the first few minutes, I started getting the hang of Philippe's more realistic controls. Most pleasant is the gradual, linear feel of an accelerator (electron pedal?) that works in analog mode.
The pads on video game consoles have buttons with digital logic. Try driving a 700 h.p. race car in the rain with a light switch for a gas pedal. The key to all this is realism, within the realm of present-day electronic equipment.
To people who find GP2 too difficult when all the ``help'' functions (or ``F`` keys in GP2 parlance) are switched off, Philippe says: ``Would you expect to grab pole position after four laps in a real F1 car?''
Help comes in many forms. There is steering, braking, opposite lock help and the F4 key that makes your car indestructible. Can't use that one to race in the GP2 league though. Nice try.
Playing GP2 can quickly become pretty serious. The game lets you record your best hot laps, complete with all parameters and settings that can attest to the fact that you drove clean laps, didn't jump or bypass chicanes and all that jazz.
You can then upload them to various Web sites via the Internet for bragging or other purposes.
Or you can squarely enter the various GP2 Racing League championships (see the URL below). It will be in the amateur class if you are a true beginner. There, you will be allowed the use of several ``help'' keys.
Three podium finishes, and you jump up to the semi-pro class, where less help is allowed. In the pro class, you get little or no help at all and run full-length Grand Prix races (at least two hours on-line).
You race the league's computer, through artificial intelligence. It records your settings and the type of controls used and compiles all results. The Portuguese winner of the first inter-season race, at the virtual Jerez track, used only keyboard controls for example.
Amazing! Many have a joystick and a minority uses wheel controls.
Two machines can also be linked by modem for a bit of on-line racing. True, powerful Pentium processors and video cards let you benefit from full detailing on-screen.
But you can also race GP2 with the average 486, although with less realistic graphics.
The Microprose game itself is widely available in Canada, at prices ranging from $60 to $80, depending on the version (a half-dozen are offered).
It will undoubtedly come to full racing grids in the future, much like what we can already see in arcades, where up to eight machines can be linked to race together.
These powerful and expensive machines also add the fascinating element of ``force feedback'' that makes the steering wheel react as it would in a real car to traction forces in corners or to a speed bump hit at speed.
Several companies are working on units for PCs and video consoles. It is only going to get better.
Here are the addresses, numbers and URLs for GP players: Our expert says Powermind knows GP2 and tricks to get it running the right way: Georges Riachy - (514) 332-1010
A Newsgroup to visit - rec.autos.simulators - for all the latest links, news, rumors and gossip about GP2 and all the other racing games/simulators. More than 200 messages last time I visited.
Web sites to see and explore: At http://home.cwnet.com/randallc/gp2setup/index.html you will find the GP2 Racing League, setup and utilities site. This is the place to start if you are interested in GP2 racing, whether you are a beginner or a seasoned video racer (the GP2 Racing League has amateur, semi-pro and pro classes). Impressive layout and thorough contents. Very professional stuff. There are also Usenet and IRC connections and you can also e-mail the Webmaster at - randallc@xyz.com.
Further sites: At http://www.microprose.com is the company that sells the GP2 ``simulator'' among other software.
Contents copyright © 1996, The Toronto Star.
User interface, selection and arrangement copyright © 1996 Torstar Electronic Publishing Ltd. To provide feedback or commentary on this site, please write to Webmaster@thestar.com