I'll attempt to answer some of the questions here, as a few people have
been asking them. I posted this yesterday, but it didn't seem to go through...
GPL>N3 FAQ, v1.0
1. Why are there only some tracks?
2. Why don't you release a general converter so that we can create tracks
using GPLEA's tools and then convert them to N3?
3. Why do some tracks crash to the desktop?
4. Why does Zandvoort not show up?
5. Are there any other bugs?
6. Credits
1. Why are there only some tracks?
The GPL > N3 converter only converts some of the tracks due to the fact
that many of the GPL tracks will simply not work in N3. Problems due to
track sections lying too close to other ones (Rouen hairpin) and other things
keep some tracks from working properly, therefore they were not included.
I don't expect to ever see some tracks (in N3 at least, we'll see about N4)
fixed, for example, Nurburg will not even load.
2. Why don't you release a general converter so that we can create tracks
using GPLEA's tools and then convert them to N3?
We could create a 'generic' converter, but Dave has already moved on to
other things, and simply, without major modifications to .trk files, many GPL
tracks will simply not work with N3, causing it to crash. Therefore we couldn't
do like the generic ICR2>N2 converter and just convert anything, anytime.
3. Why do some tracks crash to the desktop?
There apparently is not really any rhyme or reason why some tracks
work with some people, and don't work with others. For example, I can
run all the tracks no problem, but Goy, who has a similar computer, cannot.
I'm running an Abit Tbird 900 w/192 Meg RAM, and Geforce Hercules card w/32
Meg ram. It certainly is linked to memory, cpu and graphics memory, but even
with that, some people may have problems with some tracks.
4. Why does Zandvoort not show up?
We're working on that, please stand by.
5. Are there any other bugs?
Certainly, with something of this magnitude. I'll attempt to list some of them here.
- Many tracks incur a 'clipping' problem, where the track surface will appear uneven,
or you may go off-road and find yourself 'under' a hill
- Some of the larger tracks will crash to the desktop, as mentioned above
- Some tracks my cause warps or crashes due to the proximity of one track section to
another. Zandvoort's pits could cause a car to warp across the track.
- The Windows\temp directory could cause problems with conversion if it's full. Delete
all the files in that directory and try again, if a conversion fails
- Snetterton (from GPLEA) will not convert unless the files are packed into a snett.dat file.
To fix this, you must obtain one of the dat file packers (found in the stockcar > editors
section of The Pits, pack/unpack and DooDat are two examples) and pack all the mips
and 3dos into a single .dat file. You will find that three files may not pack correctly,
leave them out of the .dat because their naming convention will not work with DOS
packers. The converter will then fix that problem on conversion.
- AI is not yet complete on Solitude, Spa, or Goodwood. We will be fixing this at some
point.
- Some computers may experience slow framerate due to high object/graphics composition.
- Online racing with some tracks (Crystal Palace, for example) could cause problems when
the flagman from the pit crew is difficult to see.
6. Credits
Thanks to the many people who helped make this converter possible.
Converter - David Noonan
AI - Goy Larsen (yay, Goy!), Stuart Brown, Jan Kohl, Al Stiff
Graphics - Jay Beckwith, Jan Kohl
Oring, Road Atlanta and Brands Hatch - David Noonan
Snetterton, Solitude, Crystal Palace, Goodwood - GPLEA (lest I forget, THANKS, GPLEA!) ;]
FAQ - me
Cheers!
--
�� Jan Kohl ��
SECURITY CONSULTANT
The Pits - http://www.theuspits.com
Castle Graphics - http://www.castlegraphics.com
Jan Kohl wrote:
Absolutely. Many thanks to everyone that was connected with this
project. Folks like you make this community what it is.
--
Fester
