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Old November 2nd 04, 12:56 AM
Scott Spahr
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----- Original Message -----
From: "Chuck"
Subject: Tough to Enter the Racing Sim Scene

> I know that Grand Prix Legends and F1 Challenge 99 - 02 are supposed to be
> great sims for the PC, but where on Earth can you buy them? I don't like /
> trust Ebay. If I could just go to ebgames and buy it for $50 that would be
> great. I've also read good things about Nascar 2003. I don't like Nascar,
> but I've read Nascar2003 is good and has lots of mods... if N2003 = Nascar
> 2003. You guys use lots of acronyms that I have trouble deciphering.


N2003 = NASCAR Racing 2003 Season by Papyrus, sometimes also abbreviated
NR2003S

You should be able to find a store selling Grand Prix Legends (GPL) with a
google search. Here's one:

http://www.dirtcheapsoftware.com/grprlesi.html

I've never ordered from them, though, so I won't recommend them one way or
the other.

F1 Challenge 99 - 02 (F1C) might be more challenging to find because EA
Sports never reprinted it in a bargain format. There seems to have been
only a limited number printed, and eBay is about the only place where copies
can be found; it often sells for over $50. A good alternative would be F1
2002, which was printed in much higher numbers and had some good mods
created for it that might still be available if you know where to look.


> Somehow I've been able to find some good web sites ...
>
> http://www.simracingworld.com/index/
>
> http://www.bhmotorsports.com/
>
> They are informative, but there should really be some kind of sim racing
> FAQ.


Be sure to look at these sites:

http://www.rscnet.org/ Be sure to check the forums for lots of important
info on GPL (and other sims, too). For someone just starting out in sims I
would recommend the GPL '65 mod over the standard '67 GPL. The '67 cars
have too much power for the available grip, making them very frustrating for
beginners.

http://www.theuspits.com/ probably the best N2003 mod site, including the
TPTCC mod and the Ferarri 330 mod. TPTCC includes four different roadracing
body styles (Ford GT, Mustang, Corvette, and Viper) and uses the 'papy trans
am' physics, which modifies the standard NASCAR physics to make the cars
more suitable for road racing.

> I guess my questions are ...
>
> What are some great, moddable racing sims that you can play over the
> internet and actually AVAILABLE for sale in the U.S.? (Non-NASCAR)


I think N2003 is the best thing going right now. The mods have taken it
beyond NASCAR-style oval racing, and there is a huge number of tracks,
including road courses, available.

> What hotly anticipated sims are coming out soon other than GT-R?


The creator of GPL and N2003 has started a new company with help from the
owner of the Boston Red Sox, but nobody knows exactly what he's planning to
do, other than it has something to do with racing simulation.

> I plan to buy the Logitech Momo wheel. Any reason I should avoid it?


Unfortunately, there are not as many options available in the wheel market
as there used to be. The Momo has undergone many changes over the years and
I don't know how good the current model is. I have one of the older red
ones, and it is quite good. A search in on of the bigger forums should
provide lots of good information.

> I bought F1 2001 today (for three dollars). Does it still have a
> following?


It was largely superseded by F1 2002, and then F1C, but it did have a great
GTR mod. I have no idea if it's still available (That was the first effort
by the guys making the new GTR sim.) It was mostly an offline sim anyway,
so if that's what you want, a small community is not a big problem. There
isn't much (any) new stuff being made for it, and the old stuff might be
hard to find. Ask in the forums at rscnet.org or
http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/~hg/forum/index.php

> Can you buy Richard Burns Rally in the U.S.?


One option is http://www.gogamer.com/ There may be better ones.

> Is there any way to play European racing sims in the U.S.? In other words,
> are they region restricted? Will anyone sell them to us in the U.S.?


There should be no problems with using imported PC software.

> Thanks for any info.


If you want to get involved in online racing a good place to start is the
VROCF2 club, which has a Yahoo group
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/vroc-f2/

Hope this helps,
Scott Spahr


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