MagpieRacer
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Toro Rosso:
Grand Prix 4
- Thread starter MagpieRacer
- 107 comments
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MagpieRacer
Premium
- 17,080
- Wymondham, Norfolk
- Seagull_Racer
MagpieRacer
Premium
- 17,080
- Wymondham, Norfolk
- Seagull_Racer
MagpieRacer
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- Wymondham, Norfolk
- Seagull_Racer
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Been a long while since someone last posted here, huh?
So... I had a race today in an STR at Bahrain. It went like this:
Qualifying: I get nixed from the side while in the lane, thankfully the car is undamaged. As the whole grid does the banker-laps, I let them pass, and I get a clear field for my hotlap. 7th place, but that was a high-fuel run, intended to be the first of 3. But no - as I pass the series of sweepers, a Renault charges behind me - and into me. I spin, he loses a wheel, I lose a wing. I head back into the pits. Then, on my second hotlap, after the session is just over, my T2 time is just 0.8 seconds slower than the pole-sitting Barrichello. As I approach the start/finish line, my car loses power. It still goes, but very, very slowly. Apparently the pit-limiter is set of automatically once your near the pitlane and the session "is over"? Result: Just one hotlap, nets me 22th place.
Race: I finally get a good, clean start, and I'm up to 17th when we approach the first corner. However, in front, a big pileup is made. I brake early, stop juuust in time to evade JPM in front of me, I swerve to the side, and wait slowly - until a Midland comes crashing into me. I lose my rear wing, I lose my front wing, and one wheel. I turn off traction-control, go to the tarmac on the side, and start doing burnouts. Then, with a burning engine, I head down the straight, approaching JPM. We collide, and a few get stuck with us. Here's the bloody result:
I don't take revenge unless they messed up my race completely. This time, they did just that.
So... I had a race today in an STR at Bahrain. It went like this:
Qualifying: I get nixed from the side while in the lane, thankfully the car is undamaged. As the whole grid does the banker-laps, I let them pass, and I get a clear field for my hotlap. 7th place, but that was a high-fuel run, intended to be the first of 3. But no - as I pass the series of sweepers, a Renault charges behind me - and into me. I spin, he loses a wheel, I lose a wing. I head back into the pits. Then, on my second hotlap, after the session is just over, my T2 time is just 0.8 seconds slower than the pole-sitting Barrichello. As I approach the start/finish line, my car loses power. It still goes, but very, very slowly. Apparently the pit-limiter is set of automatically once your near the pitlane and the session "is over"? Result: Just one hotlap, nets me 22th place.
Race: I finally get a good, clean start, and I'm up to 17th when we approach the first corner. However, in front, a big pileup is made. I brake early, stop juuust in time to evade JPM in front of me, I swerve to the side, and wait slowly - until a Midland comes crashing into me. I lose my rear wing, I lose my front wing, and one wheel. I turn off traction-control, go to the tarmac on the side, and start doing burnouts. Then, with a burning engine, I head down the straight, approaching JPM. We collide, and a few get stuck with us. Here's the bloody result:
I don't take revenge unless they messed up my race completely. This time, they did just that.
- 542
- Frankston Sth, VIC
- TORC_Waynz
Been a while since people have posted in this thread..
I have a problem of my own.. After trying to install the 06 Mod, I must've stuffed up somewhere.
There's no GP4 on my computer yet I can't install the game because it thinks it's already installed. and I can't play it because it says I'm missing a " binkw32.dll " file.
waynz
I have a problem of my own.. After trying to install the 06 Mod, I must've stuffed up somewhere.
There's no GP4 on my computer yet I can't install the game because it thinks it's already installed. and I can't play it because it says I'm missing a " binkw32.dll " file.
waynz
MagpieRacer
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7 years sinces I started this thread and Grand Prix 4 is still my fave F1 game. I haven't been on it for a while but started up again on it earlier this week and, again, struggling to get off of it. Please look for this game and buy it, so much life left in the old girl yet. Here are some shots of the GP4Central 2012 mod beta. really good mod.
2006, 2007 and 2009 are the best of the finished mods. Screens of those another time.
Enjoy!
2006, 2007 and 2009 are the best of the finished mods. Screens of those another time.
Enjoy!
MagpieRacer
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- Wymondham, Norfolk
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Sorry for the double post but after having a number of races on GP4 today then a couple on F1 2012 I decided to make a post on why I think GP4 is the best F1 racer;
So, firstly I'll explain how I'll do this comparison. It seems unfair to compare out of the box GP4 with F1 2012 as there is a 10 year gap between the 2 releases. I will be comparing it with a modded GP4. The main modifications are the CSM and TSM (carset and track managers) based mods. The 2012 one to be more precise which is only in its 2nd beta phase but I can reference previous mods if there is an unfinished aspect of the mod to compare. The mods are painfully easy to install so I believe it viable to compare them to F1 2012.
I will start with a straight comparison on 1 lap of a track, Red Bull on Albert Park:
F1 2012:
GP4 2012:
Real life:
Its worth bearing in mind once again that GP4 is 10 years old. It still stands up well to F1 2012, although it is obvious which one is the 2012 game, GP4 still stands out despite its age. The tracks are very accurate indeed and just feel a little more authentic to drive on as well.
Graphics:
I will start with graphics. Now obviously F1 2012 probably looks nicer and more polished overall but GP4 has stood the test of time. The car models look great in all the best mods, textures are all good looking and again the tracks are very accurate indeed. Add to that the motion capped pitcrews, marshalls and crew members and you have a handsome game indeed. F1 2012 though does win this round with its DX11 capabilities, more modern tech and all round newness.
Winnner: F1 2012
Interface:
GP4 has a tried and tested interface, a mildly upgraded version of the GP3 interface. Its easy to navigate and simple to use. F1 2012's interface again screams out as 2012, highly detailed car models rotate behind a clean slick menu system, also easy to use and a pelasure to view.
Winner: F1 2012
Features:
Both games have features that the other does not. Making this a tight category. We will start with F1 2012. Its modes include Quick race, career, season challenge, champions mode, young driver test and online racing. IT features full rules, safety car included, decent AI on legendary setting and of course features all the 2012 cars and tracks.
GP4, out of the box features 2001 season but is of course moddable up to 2012. Features sofisticated damage modelling, in depth tuning and set ups, in depth physics, full rules minus safety car, motiojn captured pitcrews, tracks created from photos and GPS. Modes include, quickrace, quicklaps, non championship race, championship and free practice. Now some of the finer features of both. F1 2012s dirt pickup on the tires is very good indeed, taking time to scrub them clean again is vital and of course marbles can hugely affect your grip. GP4 does feature this but not as detailed or accurate, nor is it visible. While F1 2012 does have a safety car, it doesn't come out much. GP4 features a lot more yellow flag action and I have seen full course yellows before which is almost equivilent to safety car periods. As well as actual visible marshalls, albeit at the roadside. Season challenge and champions mode as well as the young driver test allow F1 2012 to cling on, but it isa dead heat for this category.
Winner: Tied
Driving/Physics:
Now an important category. How does it feel. F1 2012 is widely regarded as a sim-cade racer, has its simulation aspects but still perhaps too easy. The cars certainly have a lot of grip at highi speed and not much at low speed. Often feels slightly unbalanced. The understeer as well can be excessive, it takes a lot of fiddling with wheel settings to eradicate it and make it feel ok, even then some people can't get rid of it at all. In all, it can feel good with some playing with wheel settings.
GP4 doesn't have the same in depth wheel settings, so they had to nail it first time, and they did. Very easy to setup a wheel, just calibrate the axis then assign the functions. Unlike F1 2012 you can assign a clutch as well as buttons for launch control and traction control. The driving feel is superb, for some it could be intimidating when it first came out. Definitely a game for enthusiasts. IT does have aids to tone it down however. With aids off though you will struggle to find a more rewarding F1 experience. Push too hard and the car can snap into the barriers in a heartbeat, unless you can wrestle it. Starts need care and a deft touch on the pedal, add the clutch and its a real immersive thrill. Slipstreams have effect in both games, but the dirty air effect feels more pronounced in GP4, can make overtaking tricky on certain tracks. Overall GP4 provides a much more satisfying and believable feel whilst racing.
Winner: GP4
Sounds:
Tricky category sounds, out of the box GP4 has mediocre sounds. But as its the modded version we are using, the sounds are far from mediocre. The shrill of the top end and the backfiring on the way down, the engines sound aggressive and super real. The above comparison video shows this, the sounds for that mod were taken from actual onboard footage. Plenty of ambient sounds keep the pits interesting. F1 2012 has decent sounds but they don't have that essence of real life that can be achieved by GP4. This is offset however by a superior pit radio.
Winner: Tied
AI:
Another difficult one, AI can be subjective, some prefer aggressive racing, others prefer clean and real. Both these games offer both these types. Comparing both on their hardest difficultys, legendary in F1 2012 and ace in GP4. F1 2012 can be difficult to win on, pole positions are slightly easier to achieve than race wins though. The AI is pretty good for the most part, some may say still too slow and the gap between pro and legend is too large for thos who need something inbetween. They do go for overtakes although they can look wobbly sometimes, particularly with DRS but they do give a fight. IT seems difficult to catch them up sometimes with hints of the out of sight bug creeping in from time to time. But generally a good effort.
GP4's AI also has good and bad points. On ace they are difficult to beat, but still beatable, you just have to be good. They race on the limit and can easily make mistakes as the player can. Its a much more common occurance than in F1 2012 which rarely features AI crashes or retirements. they will race you hard, not backing down when they want a position up the inside, this makes for thrilling racing but inevitabley they can be over-zealous sometimes and can make contact. Thankfully its rare and some may say adds to the realstic nature of the game. They are good off the start line whereas in F1 2012 they can be a little slow. GP4 is more consistant as well across varying weather conditions. F1 2012 struggles in this regard.
Winner: GP4
Damage modelling:
I thought I would include this as damage can make or break a race in F1and as such it is important it gets depicted correctly. These cars are fragile and can easily fall apart when given a chance.
F1 2012 is widely criticised for its lack of sensitivity, it takes a few whacks to lose your wing, and only aggressive downshifting will give you any engine problems. GP4 on the other hand, has a whole menu for the differents things to go wrong on your car: suspension, electrics, engine, gearbox, fuel and many more besides. Some may just happen other need to be sought, such as gearbox failures. I myself have had a hydraulics failure in a race form almost nowhere. GP4's physical damage also has the edge. The cars are fragile, little bits can come off easily, big bits can fly off in heavier impacts and if you put it in the wall you can expect to not be driving away from it. The cars in GP4 can really be bashed up. Very believable. The crashes in general in GP4 just look more realistic.
Winner: GP4
Lifespan:
Easy one this one, F1 2012 has been out for 2/3 months and I got bored of it. GP4 is in its 11th year of existance and its still my F1 game of choice.
Winner: GP4
Conclusion:
From the superb Tv style replays to the live feed on your cars tv screen in the pits, from the dramatic AI to the still good graphics. GP4 has F1 2012 wrapped up where it matters. F1 2012s presentation might be nicer but GP4 delivers where it needs to.
Overall Winner: GP4
If you want to play GP4 in its updated state. All you need is a copy of GP4, the 9.6 official patch, the decrypted .exe and ZAZ tools. From there, just download a CSM compatible mod (1991, 1994, 1995, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 all have CSM mods) and respective track packs, and its there to enjoy.
So, firstly I'll explain how I'll do this comparison. It seems unfair to compare out of the box GP4 with F1 2012 as there is a 10 year gap between the 2 releases. I will be comparing it with a modded GP4. The main modifications are the CSM and TSM (carset and track managers) based mods. The 2012 one to be more precise which is only in its 2nd beta phase but I can reference previous mods if there is an unfinished aspect of the mod to compare. The mods are painfully easy to install so I believe it viable to compare them to F1 2012.
I will start with a straight comparison on 1 lap of a track, Red Bull on Albert Park:
F1 2012:
GP4 2012:
Real life:
Its worth bearing in mind once again that GP4 is 10 years old. It still stands up well to F1 2012, although it is obvious which one is the 2012 game, GP4 still stands out despite its age. The tracks are very accurate indeed and just feel a little more authentic to drive on as well.
Graphics:
I will start with graphics. Now obviously F1 2012 probably looks nicer and more polished overall but GP4 has stood the test of time. The car models look great in all the best mods, textures are all good looking and again the tracks are very accurate indeed. Add to that the motion capped pitcrews, marshalls and crew members and you have a handsome game indeed. F1 2012 though does win this round with its DX11 capabilities, more modern tech and all round newness.
Winnner: F1 2012
Interface:
GP4 has a tried and tested interface, a mildly upgraded version of the GP3 interface. Its easy to navigate and simple to use. F1 2012's interface again screams out as 2012, highly detailed car models rotate behind a clean slick menu system, also easy to use and a pelasure to view.
Winner: F1 2012
Features:
Both games have features that the other does not. Making this a tight category. We will start with F1 2012. Its modes include Quick race, career, season challenge, champions mode, young driver test and online racing. IT features full rules, safety car included, decent AI on legendary setting and of course features all the 2012 cars and tracks.
GP4, out of the box features 2001 season but is of course moddable up to 2012. Features sofisticated damage modelling, in depth tuning and set ups, in depth physics, full rules minus safety car, motiojn captured pitcrews, tracks created from photos and GPS. Modes include, quickrace, quicklaps, non championship race, championship and free practice. Now some of the finer features of both. F1 2012s dirt pickup on the tires is very good indeed, taking time to scrub them clean again is vital and of course marbles can hugely affect your grip. GP4 does feature this but not as detailed or accurate, nor is it visible. While F1 2012 does have a safety car, it doesn't come out much. GP4 features a lot more yellow flag action and I have seen full course yellows before which is almost equivilent to safety car periods. As well as actual visible marshalls, albeit at the roadside. Season challenge and champions mode as well as the young driver test allow F1 2012 to cling on, but it isa dead heat for this category.
Winner: Tied
Driving/Physics:
Now an important category. How does it feel. F1 2012 is widely regarded as a sim-cade racer, has its simulation aspects but still perhaps too easy. The cars certainly have a lot of grip at highi speed and not much at low speed. Often feels slightly unbalanced. The understeer as well can be excessive, it takes a lot of fiddling with wheel settings to eradicate it and make it feel ok, even then some people can't get rid of it at all. In all, it can feel good with some playing with wheel settings.
GP4 doesn't have the same in depth wheel settings, so they had to nail it first time, and they did. Very easy to setup a wheel, just calibrate the axis then assign the functions. Unlike F1 2012 you can assign a clutch as well as buttons for launch control and traction control. The driving feel is superb, for some it could be intimidating when it first came out. Definitely a game for enthusiasts. IT does have aids to tone it down however. With aids off though you will struggle to find a more rewarding F1 experience. Push too hard and the car can snap into the barriers in a heartbeat, unless you can wrestle it. Starts need care and a deft touch on the pedal, add the clutch and its a real immersive thrill. Slipstreams have effect in both games, but the dirty air effect feels more pronounced in GP4, can make overtaking tricky on certain tracks. Overall GP4 provides a much more satisfying and believable feel whilst racing.
Winner: GP4
Sounds:
Tricky category sounds, out of the box GP4 has mediocre sounds. But as its the modded version we are using, the sounds are far from mediocre. The shrill of the top end and the backfiring on the way down, the engines sound aggressive and super real. The above comparison video shows this, the sounds for that mod were taken from actual onboard footage. Plenty of ambient sounds keep the pits interesting. F1 2012 has decent sounds but they don't have that essence of real life that can be achieved by GP4. This is offset however by a superior pit radio.
Winner: Tied
AI:
Another difficult one, AI can be subjective, some prefer aggressive racing, others prefer clean and real. Both these games offer both these types. Comparing both on their hardest difficultys, legendary in F1 2012 and ace in GP4. F1 2012 can be difficult to win on, pole positions are slightly easier to achieve than race wins though. The AI is pretty good for the most part, some may say still too slow and the gap between pro and legend is too large for thos who need something inbetween. They do go for overtakes although they can look wobbly sometimes, particularly with DRS but they do give a fight. IT seems difficult to catch them up sometimes with hints of the out of sight bug creeping in from time to time. But generally a good effort.
GP4's AI also has good and bad points. On ace they are difficult to beat, but still beatable, you just have to be good. They race on the limit and can easily make mistakes as the player can. Its a much more common occurance than in F1 2012 which rarely features AI crashes or retirements. they will race you hard, not backing down when they want a position up the inside, this makes for thrilling racing but inevitabley they can be over-zealous sometimes and can make contact. Thankfully its rare and some may say adds to the realstic nature of the game. They are good off the start line whereas in F1 2012 they can be a little slow. GP4 is more consistant as well across varying weather conditions. F1 2012 struggles in this regard.
Winner: GP4
Damage modelling:
I thought I would include this as damage can make or break a race in F1and as such it is important it gets depicted correctly. These cars are fragile and can easily fall apart when given a chance.
F1 2012 is widely criticised for its lack of sensitivity, it takes a few whacks to lose your wing, and only aggressive downshifting will give you any engine problems. GP4 on the other hand, has a whole menu for the differents things to go wrong on your car: suspension, electrics, engine, gearbox, fuel and many more besides. Some may just happen other need to be sought, such as gearbox failures. I myself have had a hydraulics failure in a race form almost nowhere. GP4's physical damage also has the edge. The cars are fragile, little bits can come off easily, big bits can fly off in heavier impacts and if you put it in the wall you can expect to not be driving away from it. The cars in GP4 can really be bashed up. Very believable. The crashes in general in GP4 just look more realistic.
Winner: GP4
Lifespan:
Easy one this one, F1 2012 has been out for 2/3 months and I got bored of it. GP4 is in its 11th year of existance and its still my F1 game of choice.
Winner: GP4
Conclusion:
From the superb Tv style replays to the live feed on your cars tv screen in the pits, from the dramatic AI to the still good graphics. GP4 has F1 2012 wrapped up where it matters. F1 2012s presentation might be nicer but GP4 delivers where it needs to.
Overall Winner: GP4
If you want to play GP4 in its updated state. All you need is a copy of GP4, the 9.6 official patch, the decrypted .exe and ZAZ tools. From there, just download a CSM compatible mod (1991, 1994, 1995, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 all have CSM mods) and respective track packs, and its there to enjoy.
