Posted January 22, 2018
jamielt: Vythonaut - I would love to see what mods you use to get GPL to look like the pictures you kindly share. I am in the process of putting together a retro XP build to make up for the games unlikely to be seen on GOG (I hope I am wrong) sims such as produced by Papyrus (Nascar, GPL), Geoff Crammond (F1) and Rowan software (Mig Alley) etc. Without derailing this topic, perhaps a new thread on your tweaks and driving advice, I'm sure a few viewers would appreciate.
First things first, a disclaimer: all the screenshots i've uploaded so far were post-processed (no montages, only brightness/contrast/saturation and some blurring, all done in Snapseed[android version] because i'm too lazy to do it properly in GIMP). To give you an idea of how GPL looks when i race, take a look at the "before/after" screenshots below. Either way, GPL still looks SPECTACULAR to me! :) Regarding a GOG release, as i already said in another post somewhere, if Papyrus already had problems acquiring the licences for Honda and Cooper back then, i doubt GOG or anyone else will be able to do it now for all the teams etc. Of course i hope they'll prove me wrong, but chances are slim to none.
Having said that, and considering the limited availability of GPL nowadays (and that's because i bought all remaining copies muahahaha!), i'm not sure if a GPL modding thread would be helpful to anyone in here, especially since there is an active community elsewhere. Of course that would change if we had a GOG release, but yeah, whatever, eBay is the only place where you can find a copy of it right now, and srmz.net is the best place to ask questions as well.
Of course that doesn't mean i won't help you on your noble quest to (re)visit the golden age of (sim)racing, but i see no reason to reinvent the wheel; below you'll find some links that will help you get going:
☆ For the easy GPL installation guide go here: http://www.gplworld.org/easy-installation-guide.html
☆ For add-on tracks go here: http://gpltd.bcsims.com/
☆ For the GPL community go here: http://srmz.net/index.php?showforum=84
☆ For everything about GPL, visit this link, but don't get lost: http://www.gpllinks.org/
☆ For driving advice, start by reading the Four Wheel Drift book that comes with GPL. For setup advice, check out this link: http://alison.hine.net/gpl/smith.htm
☆ Also, there have been great advances in GPL modding since it's release and among them is the 60fps patch that will enable you to run GPL in 60fps rather than the locked 36fps. Personally i still race the AI without the patch as it works better in 36fps, but for hotlapping and training i'm always racing at 60fps.
Lastly, regarding NASCAR Racing 2003 Season, you can check out the following link to get started with modding: https://www.reddit.com/r/NASCAR/comments/1za4kj/a_primer_for_getting_started_with_nascar_racing/
As for Geoff Crammond's series, i have no experience at all. I thought about buying GP4, but then i have no real interest in modern F1. I may buy a copy sometime though, just to try it out.
ps. HEY LOOK, A THREAD HIJACKER!! Sorry for that, Matewis. :P