Experienced drivers may wish to skip straight to the Online Racing section…1) Getting Started(a) Firstly get yourself the game disc, have a quick search on
ebay OR try
here.
(b) Download the installer from
here(c) Insert the game disc and run the installer. This will install GPL with various updates and add-ons. If you have problems there is a comprehensive installation guide
here. Please note, GPL is an old game and consequently it is not recognised as a 3D game by modern operating systems. Consequently the graphics options have to be set manually. The
installation guide explains how to do this. Nvidia graphics card users may find the
Nvidia Profiler useful. The
GPL Hints and Tips document contains a section describing how to set the Field of View (FOV).
(d) If you cannot source a game disc, the
installation guide describes how to use the GPL 2004 Demo or the GPL 2020 demo to get started with GPL.
(e) In order to run any of the mods available for GPL, you will need to install
GEM. A patch to correct the BAPOM covers download facility is
here.
(f) Now might be a good time to install the additional mods that we frequently run here at UKGPL. Note: It is good practice to install the necessary tracks for the mod before trying to install the mod itself.
(i)
1955 Grand Prix (ii)
1965 Formula 1 (iii)
1966 Formula 1 (iv)
1966 Can Am (v)
1967 Formula 2 (vi)
1967 Sports Cars (vii)
1968 Formula 1 (viii)
1969 Formula 1 (extra) (ix)
1971 Can Am(g) There are several options that can be enabled through the GEM interface. Two are mandated for on-line racing:
(i)
60fps (ii)
Track Gap Freeze Fix These are not mandated but they are popular:
(i)
Force Feedback (ii)
Head Movement (iii)
No LetterboxThe options are made available in GEM by copying the relevant .XML file into the C:\GPLSecrets\GEM+\Options folder. For convenience the xml files associated with the above options are available in this
download.
That’s all you need to get started. If you run into problems let us know so we can help, it’s also worth checking the main GPL help forum at
GPL Alternative Forum.
The disc comes with 11 original tracks – beyond that there are hundreds more downloadable at the
GPL Track Database.
There are also a myriad of things you can add such as track updates, a replay analyser and set-up assistant but one step at a time…
2) Getting out on trackNow you are all loaded and raring to go but before you hit the track consider the following;
i) Controller – it is really worth considering buying a wheel and pedals. There are lots of products available ranging in price – basically the more expensive the better but there are some good cheap wheels out there if you just want to get a feel for the driving. You can use the keyboard but you are likely to struggle…
ii) Driving View – we recommend using the cockpit view. You can use the overhead view but in the long run you could struggle, and it won’t be so easy to check your opponents behind you.
iii) Driver Aids – by all means use these to start with. Once you start getting up to speed, however, we strongly recommend you switch all driver aids OFF. In the long term it will hold you back against your online opponents.
iv) Which Mod? – you will want to go straight out in the original 67 beasts. Go for it but we do recommend, once tried, you start to learn your craft in the more forgiving 65's or 67 F2's and progress onto the 67's, 66's and 69's.
v) Which chassis? Try them all – you might find one that particularly suits you.
OK now you’ve considered the above it’s time to hit the track… But which track? Well a good starter would be Silverstone or Monza but you may have ambitions to conquer the Nurburgring immediately.
Now prepare to crash, for crash you will, and lots. If you race the AI you will wonder where they have all gone once the flag drops.
Fear not we have all been there. Be prepared for a lot of practice, then some more practice and finally a lot more practice. We can assure you what you get out of GPL will be worth it.
As to how long it will take for you to be ready to take on the drivers at UKGPL well that’s like asking how long is a piece of string – it depends on the time you can put in, a few weeks of dedicated practice might be feasible.
As a rule of thumb you should be able to get round a track MOST times with no driver aids. At this stage don’t worry too much about your track times.
A word of warning, ditch the default setups, there are lots of setups available on the internet for download (
see links below).
Now it’s time to get yourself online…
3) Getting onlineIf you are brand new to GPL start by joining the practice servers/races in IGOR. Join our chatroom (#ukgpl) where you will quite often find other UKGPL drivers. Hop on to any of our servers (don’t worry you won’t end up in a league race, they are password protected). You should enter iGOR via GEM which applies the necessary patches before launching iGOR.
You will find us a helpful bunch so this is a great way to practice your newfound skills and get advice.
Once you can get round safely it is time to join us in our league races. At the sake of repetition don’t worry too much about your lap times at this stage. UKGPL welcomes new drivers and you will never be penalised for a lack of driving expertise.
On that fine note, before you do start, check our
Rules and Regulations with an emphasis on Sporting Regulations and Etiquette. Don’t worry you don’t need to learn it all verbatim, it is common sense stuff really.
4) Online RacingThe first thing you will want to do is decide which divisions you will participate in. We cater for both new and more experienced drivers. You can find the current divisions together with details for current season on the UKGPL
homepage.
Just vote on the appropriate registration thread in
Announcements and you will be entered into that division and have access to the race passwords.
5) TeamsOnce you are settled in you may wish to join one of the various existing
teams or even start your own. Just contact one of the team members or you can self-service the set-up of your own team.
6) Forum NavigationUKGPL operate through the SROU forum. There are three main sections;
Announcements (division registration and the like) /
Races /
GPL (for anything else).
Entering via
ukgpl.com will give you direct access to the latest race threads and additional utilities such as replay downloads.
7) Links / ResourcesA google search will throw up lots of resources. A few worth looking at are;
GPL Alternative Forum – general GPL forum (replacement for the now defunct SRMZ)
GPL World – GPL guides and hints
GPL Track Database - track and set-up downloads
GPL Rank - keeps track of your laptimes
GPL Wiki - lots of useful information
GPL Links - lots of resources
GPL Hints and Tips - a guide to configuring GPL for on-line racing
So happy racing and we hope you enjoy being part of UKGPL. Feedback is always welcome, just PM one of the Moderators.
If you need help, advice or anything else to get started just post here and we’ll do our best to assist you.