MOSTLY COMPLETE - Work In Progress
Details of the steps to take to get Grand Prix Legends up and running on your race rig, and compatible with the LoPeN settings. Make sure you don't stop reading part way through - know it all... There is valuable information to the very end of this post.
An assumption is made that you know how to determine the file suffix of each file when it is hidden. For me, I just unhide them so I know what I'm looking at.
Download and Install
Shove your GPL CD into the CD/DVD drive, but cancel the installation. You could also use a THUMB DRIVE if your CD isn't available
The installer will do most of the hard work for you. It will install GPL and update it to the latest version, along with installing many updates and patches that make GPL what it is today.
When prompted, figure out where you want GPL to live (usually C:\SIERRA\GPL)
Run through the list of options during the install - most defaults are fine.
Once the F2 mod is installed, see "GEM+ Configuration" section below
Follow this step for any other MOD package you want to race.
That's all that is required to race. Now, for some optional equipment...
Optional - but STRONGLY recommended
We use TeamSpeak to chatter, yammer, joke, trash talk, and generally communicate between heats, during heats, and on the track. Even if you dont have a microphone, you should get the TeamSpeak2 client, as it is how we call yellows and greens.
EndItAll is a useful little tool to clear the clutter from your system tray prior to racing. It closes anything that is hogging CPU and Memory... I run it before every race-night
GPLShift is a small tool used to setup that stick shifter for racing GPL. Paddle shifters work without an add-on.
We'll work on configuration next. Lets start by creating a player or two... This is a necessary first step.
GPL Configuration
If it isn't already - connect your wheel so it is recognized by your computer
Find the Grand Prix Legends V1.2.0.2 icon on your desktop and double click it
If this is your first time running GPL, you should be taken to the new player setup screen.
Enter your First name (most of us use our real names)
Enter your Last name, followed by the car class. (eg; LastnameF2)
Pick your team, country, and helmet color, then click the GREEN flag bottom right
You should be taken straight to the calibration page. Run your wheel and pedals through their paces and calibrate to GPL
Click OK when you are happy with the calibration
You are returned to the "Controls" page.
Here you need to verify everything is as expected with your wheel controls in the "Set Controls" panel.
Look at steering, throttle, brake, shift up, shift down, and clutch to make sure they are what you expected
To check, click each control and move/press the desired input device.
In most cases you will want to slide the "Steering Linearity" to the (-). This setting says 'When i turn my wheel, the car's wheel turns the same amount.'
In the "Joystick Driver" panel, most cases you will want to select 'Direct Input'.
It is advisable to click the 'Calibrate Joystick' link and run through the calibration sequence again - especially if you've made changes to the input device.
Click the 'right arrow' at the bottom of the screen to advance to the "Graphics" setup page.
Most of the "Features" section speaks for itself - so I will spare the details. Suffice it to say that if you have framerate problems, reduce some of the displayed track side objects here.
The "Quality" section has 'realism' settings. Start with them checked, but this should be the first to go if your framerate suffers.
"Effects" are also a framerate hog. Flying sparks, clouds of dust, and fireballs can use up a lot of GPU.
"Detail Bias" tells your GPU how far away things look pretty. The closer to (-) your setting, the less distance blurr. Play with this until you get something you are comfortable using. Again, slide toward (+) to help increase framerates.
"3d Accelerator" should match what your video card / GPU like to use. Some are Direct 3d "D3D" and some are OpenGlide or "OGL". Pick the appropriate version. The Version 2 rasterizers should have installed with the install package - they are the preferred rasterizer.
"Resolution" - self explanatory.
"Mirror Detail" toggles certain items in the "Features" BEHIND section on and off
"Track Side Objects" toggles certain items in the "Features" AHEAD section on and off
Both can be used to help increase framerates.
Click the 'right arrow' at the bottom of the screen to advance to the "Sound & Gameplay" setup page.
In the "Mixer Control" section, adjust the number of sounds - 16 is good, but reducing the number can increase framerates
Leave the "Miscellaneous" check boxes in the default 'checked' state
"Driver's Aides" should be turned off - Auto Shift, Brake Help, and Throttle Help will only serve to annoy you after the first five minutes.
"Measurements" - set them how you want...
When you are happy, click the GREEN flag bottom right
GEM+ Configuration
GEM+ is primarily used to change the car set and marque you will use in-game. It is also used for adding or removing tracks from your available race list (the 'seasons' file). There are other functions but they are not critical to getting set up.
Before you do anything, you'll need to change the IP address where iGOR looks for a racelist. You will need to browse to your iGOR install.
Typically this is C:\SimRacing\GPLSecrets\iGOR\
open the file iGOR.ini
find the section for RaceListServers - usually at the top of the file
Change the IP address FROM:
[RaceListServers]
IP = gplrank.info
To:
[RaceListServers]
IP = igor.gaiztor.com
Save the iGOR.INI file
You are ready to run GEM & iGOR to get on-track!
To get started open GEM+
In the Top Left of GEM+ you will find an [INSTALLS] button. Next to it, the currently selected install of GPL is displayed in a drop down list. Typically C:\SIERRA\GPL\gpl.exe (you probably only have one GPL install at this point)
If you installed GEM+ right after installing GPL and you pointed to your GPL installation when doing so, you should be set (it is actually impossible to install GEM without pointing to a working link to "gpl.exe" - so if you managed to do so... nice work!)
Click on the [INSTALLS] button. In the pop-up you should see you GPL install. If not you can [SEARCH} (bottom right) for more GPL.EXE files. If you have more than one, choose the one you want to race with.
Next to the [CARSETS] button, it should say "1967 Formula 2" in the drop down list.
If not, click the [CARSETS] button.
In the pop-up window, select GPLF2 in the left-hand window "Inactive Carsets"
Click the 'right arrow' (greater than symbol). GPLF2 will be applied to the "Active Carsets" list
Click [OK].
Back at main GEM+ screen, click the pull down next to [CARSETS] and select '1967 Formula 2' from the list.
Below the graphic, you should see a window that may say 'testing', 'multiplayer', etc.
The available options here speak for themselves. Select 'Multiplayer' when racing online
To the right of that is a pull down to select which carset is active
Click the pull down and select "CARSF2"
Follow that line to the right and you see [SEASONS] {Current Season}, {Current Chassis}, {Current Engine}
[SEASONS] allows you to ADD or REMOVE tracks from any 'season.ini' file
Click the [SEASONS] button.
The left of the pop-up shows your available tracks (the contents of the C:\Sierra\GPL\TRACKS folder).
Expand the 67SEASON.INI on the right (or F2SEASON.INI if you prefer).
Select the track you want to ADD to the season file from the list on the left and click the right arrow - or - click the track to REMOVE from the season file from the list on the right and click the left arrow.
NOTES:
"sort by track directory" (left) and [DIRECTORY] (right) are generally easier to navigate.
"SGEM.ini is XXX days old" is the time since last update of the complete list of available tracks.
[SGEM] will update the list.
Bottom left, click "List All Tracks in SGEM.INI" will show you what tracks are available that you do not have installed (preceded by ... )
MOST of us just stick to the 67Season.ini file and add/remove tracks as needed.
{Current Season} allows you to select a season.ini file (a set of tracks) that will be available in-game with the pull down. Most of the time, I just use the 67SEASON and ignore the rest.
{Current Chassis} is used to select which chassis you want to race
Standard Chassis (SC) - Setup files will have a .XX1 suffix
Advanced Trainer (AT) - Setup files will have a .XX2 suffix
Basic Trainer (BT) - Setup files will have a .XX3 suffix
For more information on F2 specific suffix applications, see THIS post
You will need to go into GEM+ and select the appropriate {Current Chassis} from the car class drop down list for each race week.
Bottom right is [VROC], [iGOR], [GPL] - typically [iGOR] is used, but others use the [GPL] button to direct connect. It just depends on how you like to do things.
We use [iGOR] for race hosting and joining. Direct connection is still available. iGOR takes the guess work out of joining the server. If you set things up in GEM+, you dont really need to do anything except 'join' the server.
Using iGOR to set up host races makes it virtually impossible to connect to a race with the incorrect class of car for the scheduled week.
Joining a race (or practice) server
If joining using iGOR through GEM+2, follow these steps
Once you have your GEM+2 configuration, click on the [iGOR] button at the bottom right of GEM+2
You will be redirected to the iGOR home screen, which contains a list of available race servers, race information, and a chat room list
In the race server (top) window, select the LoPeN server (or practice server - typically Hauls1) by clicking on it in the list.
If it does not have a big green dot next to the server name, your track installation is not recognized. You will need to go back to GEM+2 and make sure it is in the correct season file and that the same season file is selected (see GEM+ configuration)
In the icon ribbon, select 'JOIN' (second button)
A pop-up window "Join Race..." will open.
Verify the correct Player Information is presented
Select your desired Helmet Colour (color)
Verify your Car Choice is accurate
In Options, make sure Steering Hack is checked. The rest are up to your preference
Click the [Join Race] button at the bottom
GPL should start and you should be brought to the race server
The installer will do most of the hard work for you. It will install GPL and update it to the latest version, along with installing many updates and patches that make GPL what it is today.
When prompted, figure out where you want GPL to live (usually C:\SIERRA\GPL)
Run through the list of options during the install - most defaults are fine.
If it isn't already - connect your wheel so it is recognized by your computer
Find the Grand Prix Legends V1.2.0.2 icon on your desktop and double click it
If this is your first time running GPL, you should be taken to the new player setup screen.
Enter your First name (most of us use our real names)
Enter your Last name, followed by the car class. (eg; LastnameF2)
Pick your team, country, and helmet color, then click the GREEN flag bottom right
You should be taken straight to the calibration page. Run your wheel and pedals through their paces and calibrate to GPL
Click OK when you are happy with the calibration
You are returned to the "Controls" page.
Here you need to verify everything is as expected with your wheel controls in the "Set Controls" panel.
Look at steering, throttle, brake, shift up, shift down, and clutch to make sure they are what you expected
To check, click each control and move/press the desired input device.
In most cases you will want to slide the "Steering Linearity" to the (-). This setting says 'When i turn my wheel, the car's wheel turns the same amount.'
In the "Joystick Driver" panel, most cases you will want to select 'Direct Input'.
It is advisable to click the 'Calibrate Joystick' link and run through the calibration sequence again - especially if you've made changes to the input device.
Click the 'right arrow' at the bottom of the screen to advance to the "Graphics" setup page.
Most of the "Features" section speaks for itself - so I will spare the details. Suffice it to say that if you have framerate problems, reduce some of the displayed track side objects here.
The "Quality" section has 'realism' settings. Start with them checked, but this should be the first to go if your framerate suffers.
"Effects" are also a framerate hog. Flying sparks, clouds of dust, and fireballs can use up a lot of GPU.
"Detail Bias" tells your GPU how far away things look pretty. The closer to (-) your setting, the less distance blurr. Play with this until you get something you are comfortable using. Again, slide toward (+) to help increase framerates.
"3d Accelerator" should match what your video card / GPU like to use. Some are Direct 3d "D3D" and some are OpenGlide or "OGL". Pick the appropriate version. The Version 2 rasterizers should have installed with the install package - they are the preferred rasterizer.
"Resolution" - self explanatory.
"Mirror Detail" toggles certain items in the "Features" BEHIND section on and off
"Track Side Objects" toggles certain items in the "Features" AHEAD section on and off
Both can be used to help increase framerates.
Click the 'right arrow' at the bottom of the screen to advance to the "Sound & Gameplay" setup page.
In the "Mixer Control" section, adjust the number of sounds - 16 is good, but reducing the number can increase framerates
Leave the "Miscellaneous" check boxes in the default 'checked' state
"Driver's Aides" should be turned off - Auto Shift, Brake Help, and Throttle Help will only serve to annoy you after the first five minutes.
"Measurements" - set them how you want...
When you are happy, click the GREEN flag bottom right
GEM+ is primarily used to change the car set and marque you will use in-game. It is also used for adding or removing tracks from your available race list (the 'seasons' file). There are other functions but they are not critical to getting set up.
Before you do anything, you'll need to change the IP address where iGOR looks for a racelist. You will need to browse to your iGOR install.
Typically this is C:\SimRacing\GPLSecrets\iGOR\
open the file iGOR.ini
find the section for RaceListServers - usually at the top of the file
Change the IP address FROM:
[RaceListServers]
IP = gplrank.info
To:
[RaceListServers]
IP = igor.gaiztor.com
Save the iGOR.INI file
You are ready to run GEM & iGOR to get on-track!
This guide will show you how to configure for the 1967 GPL Formula 2 Mod, but the same principle and method applies to all mods
To get started open GEM+2
GEM+2.jpg (66.18 KiB) Viewed 10909 times
In the Top Left of GEM+ you will find an [INSTALLS] button. Next to it, the currently selected install of GPL is displayed in a drop down list. Typically C:\SIERRA\GPL\gpl.exe (you probably only have one GPL install at this point)
installBut.jpg (20.07 KiB) Viewed 10909 times
If you installed GEM+ right after installing GPL and you pointed to your GPL installation when doing so, you should be set (it is actually impossible to install GEM without pointing to a working link to "gpl.exe" - so if you managed to do so... nice work!)
Click on the [INSTALLS] button. In the pop-up you should see you GPL install. If not you can [SEARCH} (bottom right) for more GPL.EXE files. If you have more than one, choose the one you want to race with.
instalPopUp.jpg (42.34 KiB) Viewed 10909 times
Next to the [CARSETS] button, it should say "1967 Formula 2" in the drop down list.
carsets.jpg (19.6 KiB) Viewed 10909 times
If not, click the [CARSETS] button.
In the pop-up window, select GPLF2 in the left-hand window "Inactive Carsets"
Click the 'right arrow' (greater than symbol). GPLF2 will be applied to the "Active Carsets" list
Click [OK].
carsetsPop.jpg (52.12 KiB) Viewed 10909 times
carsetMove.jpg (9.26 KiB) Viewed 10909 times
Back at main GEM+ screen, click the pull down next to [CARSETS] and select '1967 Formula 2' from the list.
carsetPull.jpg (18.21 KiB) Viewed 10909 times
carsetPull2.jpg (19.78 KiB) Viewed 10909 times
Below the graphic, you should see a window that may say 'testing', 'multiplayer', etc.
The available options here speak for themselves. Select 'Multiplayer' when racing online
To the right of that is a pull down to select which carset is active
Click the pull down and select "CARSF2"
cars.jpg (9.62 KiB) Viewed 10909 times
cars2.jpg (9.08 KiB) Viewed 10909 times
Follow that line to the right and you see [SEASONS] {Current Season}, {Current Chassis}, {Current Engine}
[SEASONS] allows you to ADD or REMOVE tracks from any 'season.ini' file
Click the [SEASONS] button.
The left of the pop-up shows your available tracks (the contents of the C:\Sierra\GPL\TRACKS folder).
Expand the 67SEASON.INI on the right (or F2SEASON.INI if you prefer).
Select the track you want to ADD to the season file from the list on the left and click the right arrow - or - click the track to REMOVE from the season file from the list on the right and click the left arrow.
NOTES:
"sort by track directory" (left) and [DIRECTORY] (right) are generally easier to navigate.
"SGEM.ini is XXX days old" is the time since last update of the complete list of available tracks.
[SGEM] will update the list.
Bottom left, click "List All Tracks in SGEM.INI" will show you what tracks are available that you do not have installed (preceded by ... )
MOST of us just stick to the 67Season.ini file and add/remove tracks as needed.
{Current Season} allows you to select a season.ini file (a set of tracks) that will be available in-game with the pull down. Most of the time, I just use the 67SEASON and ignore the rest.
{Current Chassis} is used to select which chassis you want to race
Standard Chassis (SC) - Setup files will have a .XX1 suffix
Advanced Trainer (AT) - Setup files will have a .XX2 suffix
Basic Trainer (BT) - Setup files will have a .XX3 suffix
For more information on F2 specific suffix applications, see THIS post
You will need to go into GEM+ and select the appropriate {Current Chassis} from the car class drop down list for each race week.
gem+2Fin.jpg (76.97 KiB) Viewed 10908 times
Bottom right is [VROC], [iGOR], [GPL] - typically [iGOR] is used, but others use the [GPL] button to direct connect. It just depends on how you like to do things.
We use [iGOR] for race hosting and joining. Direct connection is still available. iGOR takes the guess work out of joining the server. If you set things up in GEM+, you dont really need to do anything except 'join' the server.
Using iGOR to set up host races makes it virtually impossible to connect to a race with the incorrect class of car for the scheduled week.
If joining using iGOR through GEM+2, follow these steps
You will need to install the 60 frames per second patch (60FPS). This patch is required to join a server. The download and instructions can be found HERE
Make sure you enable the 60FPS patch by ticking the check box in the GEM+2 Options (lower right of GEM+2 user interface)
Once you have your GEM+2 configuration, click on the [iGOR] button at the bottom right of GEM+2
You will be redirected to the iGOR home screen, which contains a list of available race servers, race information, and a chat room list
In the race server (top) window, select the LoPeN server (or practice server - typically Hauls1) by clicking on it in the list.
If it does not have a big green dot next to the server name, your track installation is not recognized. You will need to go back to GEM+2 and make sure it is in the correct season file and that the same season file is selected (see GEM+ configuration)
In the icon ribbon, select 'JOIN' (second button)
A pop-up window "Join Race..." will open.
Verify the correct Player Information is presented
Select your desired Helmet Colour (color)
Verify your Car Choice is accurate
In Options, make sure Steering Hack is checked. The rest are up to your preference
Click the [Join Race] button at the bottom
GPL should start and you should be brought to the race server
