34 replies to this topic

[Wozza_UK]

HI,
For a long time now I've had two issues with GPL that I've never posted before, but now I just started to have another crack at my GPL rank (no joke!) I thought it would be a good time.

1. It seems to me that throttle response in GPL isn't quite right. I'm a big heel-toe driver and I can't seem to ever blip deep enough to be satisfactory. Sometimes I don't think I catch the gearchange at the correct revs and this causes me to spin. If I drive in rFactor or Raceroom I have no problem - in fact if anything in those sims I have a tendency to over blip. If I come back to GPL I can notice straight away the the throttle is a little dead low down in the rev range.

My pedals are set up 'realistically' with the brake pedal slightly 'aft' of the throttle pedal like in the video below but not quite as extreme. You can see it clearly around 1:07.

https://www.youtube....xrUW0ow&index=1

I've tried adjusting the throttle in DXTweak but it doesn't seem to work with GPL. It works in rFactor but GPL seems to completely ignore the changes DXTweak makes. GPL seems to use its own driver or something.

I suppose the answer would be to reset my pedals just for GPL but that would be a pain.

2. The second one is that GPL gives me dry eyes (LOL). I notice this every time I come back and it's the only sim that does it. It doesn't effect me while driving, only afterwards in the evening or following morning. It disappears after I've been up for a while but it's very noticeable. I can only think it's to do with the way GPL renders the screen or something. I gamed on console for years and those games always ran at around 30 fps but I never had a problem with them so I don't know what the problem is.

Just wondering if anyone else gets this? I don't suppose there will be an answer to either problem but misery loves company I suppose.

[Saiph]

1. I would suggest looking at the software which comes with your pedals. I have the Logitech G29, and although I haven't looked at the profiling software for some time (I'm still trying to get used to using a wheel/pedal setup in a basic way after being a joystick driver for a long time), I think the Logitech software allows the user to modify the response curves for the various controller axes. If you have the right software, and you find the throttle doesn't react the way you want, you should be able to adjust it in some way. If you then store that new setting in a separate profile, you should be able to switch to it quite conveniently when you want to drive GPL, and switch back when you're driving another sim.

I don't think I've heard of DXTweak, but its name implies that it adjusts things via DirectX. GPL can either read inputs directly from the hardware port (as most games used to under DOS etc), or it uses its own "generic" input driver, as stated on the GPL "options" page. I don't think GPL uses DirectX for input at all, or at least not in the "usual" way that modern Windows games do, so unfortunately I don't think DXTweak will be of any help.

2. I can't think of anything in GPL that would give you dry eyes (especially delayed to the next day) when other sims don't have that effect! Do you use the 60fps patch(es)? What frame rates do you normally see when driving in GPL?

I think this symptom must be due to some kind of external factor. Do you find GPL more difficult to drive than other sims? If so, your adrenaline level may be higher when driving GPL, as the sim may feel inherently more "risky", and your body may compensate by trying to be as alert as possible to the way the car is behaving. This would change the way you feel, and would have physical effects.

Do you drive GPL at regular times of the day to fit it in with your schedule, and do you drive other sims at the same time? If you drive GPL at different times to your other sims (maybe to fit in when other drivers are available on-line), then the air conditions in your house (temperature, humidity etc) may be different, and may affect your eyes differently.

[fajanko]

Hi!

2.
It might be that you got used to higher frame rates. I drove GPL for years with 36fps without eye problems. I use the 60fps since 2011 and everytime I have to step back to 36fps I need hours to really get used to it

[Wozza_UK]

Hi,
Thanks for your replies.

Yes I already checked the Thrustmaster software (I have a T500RS) and you can't change anything on the pedals unfortunately. It does seem to me that GPL is using its own driver.

No, I don't use the 60fps patch because I like racing against the AI and I hear it changes their behaviour.

TBH I didn't expect a solution to the dry eyes problem. I just came here wondering if anyone else gets the same - looking for moral support I suppose.

Anyway , thanks again.

[John Woods]

Dry eyes is common issue with computer use.

Computer Vision Syndrome

It used to happen to me a lot.

Edited by John Woods, Apr 27 2016 - 01:46 PM.

[Wozza_UK]

Saiph, on Apr 27 2016 - 10:15 AM, said:

2. I can't think of anything in GPL that would give you dry eyes (especially delayed to the next day) when other sims don't have that effect! Do you use the 60fps patch(es)? What frame rates do you normally see when driving in GPL?

I think this symptom must be due to some kind of external factor. Do you find GPL more difficult to drive than other sims? If so, your adrenaline level may be higher when driving GPL, as the sim may feel inherently more "risky", and your body may compensate by trying to be as alert as possible to the way the car is behaving. This would change the way you feel, and would have physical effects.

Pribluda normally says 35.92 or somesuch in the lower right hand corner.

However you could have a point about my driving in GPL. In other sims I just tend to do practice and then have a 10-12 lap race against the AI trying as hard as I can. In GPL I am trying to improve my GPL rank and therefore I am continually looking for that 'extra tenth'. This could cause extra eyestrain due to the fact it is more challenging. In the other sims I never have a 'benchmark' I am trying to chase and these GPLRank ones are particularly high (in my opinion) so that could case more stress.

Never thought about it that way before.

[Wozza_UK]

John Woods, on Apr 27 2016 - 01:44 PM, said:

Dry eyes is common issue with computer use.

Computer Vision Syndrome

It used to happen to me a lot.

The 20-20-20 rule sounds like a good idea. I've bought eye drops in the past but the dryness tends to only bother me at night. I'm a light sleeper and I wake up with uncomfortable eyes that I have to blink a lot. It goes away shortly after rising so the drops never really helped.

[dbell84]

What do you use to allow shifting in GPL, GPLShift or Fairshift?  If it's Fairshift, there is a delay .222 seconds programed into it to match the shift delay programed in GPL that paddle users have.  It's main purpose was to impose this delay so leagues could stop speed shifters from having an advantage, hence the name Fairshift.

I'm a fellow T500 user and I have the opposite problem when I drive GPL, I sometimes tend to get too many revs in my blips.  It always takes me a while to adjust to using a lighter touch on my blips when I have taken a break and come back to GPL.

[Art-J]

Eyedrops or whatnot, 36 does and will put additional strain on the eyes. Noticed it just before Petteri released the 60fps patch and I was comparing GPL to P&G and rF1 I drove back then at stable 60. Just couldn't drive GPL @36 for long, as it caused eye pain and difficulties with focusing on track.

You can try them out though, but it's not a long-term solution.

[one2fwee]

I'm pretty sure GPL does use direct input - that's why direct input controllers work with it.

Not sure why you're not seeing a difference with DXTweak - have you tried setting it to some really insane setting like throttle always at max or always off?
I'm guessing it probably works it's just that the throttle response in the cars in GPL is different than what you're used to in other sims.
Of course it also depends what car you are driving in gpl too. The lotus especially hates going down to first gear, i normally try and only go as low as second since it has the torque that you only really need first for starts. But then i've never had heel-toeable pedals anyway.

[M Needforspeed]

Having a Speedway ( now Speedwayland)  steering and pedals, the only way they are recognized is Direct Input. I can confirm GPL does use direct input.

Edited by M Needforspeed, Apr 28 2016 - 11:06 AM.

[Bernd Nowak]

You need dxtweak2. I found those 2 threads:

Read this to the end: http://srmz.net/inde...?showtopic=5772
Then move to the other thread: http://www.nogriprac...ad.php?t=226333

You find Dxtweak2 for 32 or 64 bit here: http://www.force-dynamics.com/dl

[Cookie]

You should try to use the 60fps for your eyes, the 60fpsaiV1 version is made for the use with AI's and works with all mods.
After long time racing online mixed 36/60, I finally decided to never again drive with 36fps.

DXtweak2-64 works fine here with GPL

[maddog]

Cookie, on Apr 28 2016 - 03:19 PM, said:

. . . . the 60fpsaiV1 version is made for the use with AI's and works with all mods.

. . . .  .

[Cookie]

maddog, on Apr 28 2016 - 06:23 PM, said:

Cookie, on Apr 28 2016 - 03:19 PM, said:

. . . . the 60fpsaiV1 version is made for the use with AI's and works with all mods.

. . . .  .

Yes, it does, but the AI behaviour is made for 67s, in other mods it is not perfect...

[Wozza_UK]

Bernd Nowak, on Apr 28 2016 - 12:17 PM, said:

You need dxtweak2. I found those 2 threads:

Read this to the end: http://srmz.net/inde...?showtopic=5772
Then move to the other thread: http://www.nogriprac...ad.php?t=226333

You find Dxtweak2 for 32 or 64 bit here: http://www.force-dynamics.com/dl

I've already come across those threads before but it doesn't work. If you read the nogrip one you will see Bob Simpson posted with the same problem re: GPL. DXTweak works fine but not in GPL. If I adjust using DXTweak and open rFactor I can see it has made a change. GPL seems to just ignore it however.

[Wozza_UK]

Cookie, on Apr 28 2016 - 03:19 PM, said:

You should try to use the 60fps for your eyes, the 60fpsaiV1 version is made for the use with AI's and works with all mods.
After long time racing online mixed 36/60, I finally decided to never again drive with 36fps.

DXtweak2-64 works fine here with GPL

I was led to understand that the 60fps mod does 'work' with the AI but it changes their behaviour somewhat. I want to race the AI as in vanilla GPL.

Can someone else be clearer about this? I've never even tried the 60fps mod tbh but from what I read it wasn't good as far as racing was concerned.

Also, please tell me what changes you have made using DXTweak. I assume you've adjusted your pedals ... or something else?

I am using DXTweak2 v4. As far as I can tell this is the one for 64bit?

Edited by Wozza_UK, Apr 29 2016 - 08:29 AM.

[Wozza_UK]

Cookie, on Apr 29 2016 - 07:13 AM, said:

maddog, on Apr 28 2016 - 06:23 PM, said:

Cookie, on Apr 28 2016 - 03:19 PM, said:

. . . . the 60fpsaiV1 version is made for the use with AI's and works with all mods.

. . . .  .

Yes, it does, but the AI behaviour is made for 67s, in other mods it is not perfect...

So are you saying 60fps DOES work correctly with the original 67 cars but just not with mods, say, the 65 cars?

[maddog]

I did extensive modification to Ai several years ago, to try to get them racing, rather than acting as strange worthless machines.  Laptimes and cornering speed can be controlled.  But some features are hard coded, unreachable, and unrealistic.  I gave it my best shot.

Some consideration was shown by the 60fps  programmer, to allow the original '67s to race using aiV1, but no other.  When you suggest using only 60fps, you ask users to give up their racing, and make mostly hot laps  

One small benefit from my unsuccessful work - I was able to use what was learnt trying to improve 60fps Ai, to make Maddog's CA71 Ai Max, and improve their behavior.

[twinpotter]

I would like to know.If you play gpl over the years with 36fps or 60fps and changing this in gem.Could this cause problems like corrupting gpl.

Thinking out loud again  

TP: