GPL 1.1 Release Notes (from Papyrus)
Grand Prix Legends PATCH README
Version 1.1
3/1/99
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. NOTES
2. GENERAL
3. MULTIPLAYER - GENERAL
4. MULTIPLAYER - MODEM-TO-MODEM
5. MULTIPLAYER - FIREWALLS
6. NEW .INI FILE OPTIONS
7. NEW .INI FILE
8. NEW DEFAULT CAR SETUPS
9. CONTACTING SIERRA
1. NOTES
Some of the multiplayer-specific changes included in this
patch make GPL version 1.1.0.0 clients and servers incompatible
with version 1.0.0.0 clients and servers
2. GENERAL
The order in which drivers are dropped when you choose less than
a full field of AI has been changed so that you still get some
slow AI drivers even with small fields.
Joystick axes may now be assigned to shift up/shift down.
There was a bug in our DirectInput joystick code that caused
problems when a device reported more than 8 axes (the Gravis
Xterminator (at least on Win95), and Thrustmaster Force GT, for
example). This has been fixed.
The pit board at the Nurburgring has been moved to the other
side of Sudkehre so that you now see your most recent lap time.
GPL would sometimes crash the system when saving a large replay.
This has been fixed.
GPL would sometimes shut down improperly, causing some files
to not be saved, and some system settings to not be restored.
This seemed to happen more often on slower systems. This has
been fixed. These changes also improved game performance by one
or two percent.
Activating the Player Info screen would sometimes change the
state of the automatic shifting, braking and traction driving
aids. This has been fixed.
The Race Setup dropdown list on the car setup screen would
extend off the bottom of the screen, instead of scrolling as
the Practice Setup dropdown list does. This has been fixed.
GPL will now run on Windows NT with DirectX installed (I believe
NT4 with service pack 3, and NT 5 Beta 2). The Generic joystick
driver is not available on Windows NT. GPL will also run on dual-processor
NT systems, and take advantage of both processors. Don't expect
any miracles, though. GPL is quite memory intensive, and a dual-processor
machine has two processors fighting for memory bandwidth instead
of just one. Because of GPL's architecture, it is unlikely that
a machine with more than two processors would provide any benefit.
You are no longer allowed to get into your car while the checkered
flag is out during a qualifying session. Also, Race Control will
reduce the amount of time the checkered flag is displayed in
qualifying once scoring has been completed for all cars.
If all cars drop out of a race during the race session, Race
Control will throw the checkered flag and end the race.
Exported race results now contain the race type (novice, intermediate-short,
etc.), as well as the amount of time it took to run the race,
and the number of laps in the race.
It was possible that driving controls (throttle, brake, shifting,
etc.) would not be enabled when you got into your car, even though
all controls were properly calibrated and assigned. The problem
was most likely to occur while the chat pad was open, but could
occur at any time This has been fixed.
You can now override any of GPL's .ini file options on the
command line. The command line overrides are not saved to the
.ini file, so there is no need to backup the .ini file. This
facility will generally be used by programs that launch GPL (VROC,
for example (see http://gpl.gamestats.com/vroc)). The format
of a command line override is...
-ko"numeric_id:section_name:key_name:value"
...where...
numeric_id is the ID of the .ini file that contains the value
to be overridden. The mapping is:
0 = core.ini,
10 = app.ini
20 = player.ini
40 = track.ini
50 = address.ini
65 = server.ini
section_name is the name of the section within the .ini file
in which the key exists. [Communications], for example. The brackets
([, and ]) should not be specified.
key_name is the name of the key. net_mdm_client_send_every,
for example.
For example, to use a value of 3 for net_mdm_client_send_every
from the Communications section of core.ini, you would use...
gpl -ko"0:communications:net_mdm_client_send_every:3"
3. MULTIPLAYER - GENERAL
When the host of a multiplayer race started the race weekend,
sometimes a client would not be given the green button that allowed
them to get into their car. This has been fixed.
Sometimes a client in a multiplayer race would not see their
own lap times, or would see incorrect information on their pit
board during the race. For the most part, this has been fixed.
If a client has an exceptionally poor connection to the server,
it is still possible that Race Control will be unable to correctly
score this client.
Race control would sometimes disqualify a client for driving
the track in the wrong direction, even when they did not do so.
This has been fixed.
Race control would sometimes register an impossibly short
lap time for a client if the client "winked out" near
the start/finish line. We believe this is fixed.
Sometimes the keyboard shortcuts for the replay and camera
systems would be active while typing a message into the chat
pad. These controls are supposed to be deactivated while chatting.
This has been fixed.
There was no way to restrict access to a GPL server based
on the communications latency to a client. When setting up a
server, you may now specify a maximum allowable latency of up
to 1 second (though latencies above 0.5 second are generally
undesirable). A client's latency is only checked once as they
connect to the server. If their latency increases while they
are connected, the server will not automatically kick them off.
There was no way to limit the number of clients that could
connect to a server on a particular network connection. If too
many players connected, the device would become overloaded causing
poor performance for everyone. There is now a "maximum number
of players" selection for each network connection.
After many people had connected to and then disconnected from
a race server, newly connecting drivers would see a long stream
of "X.Y:Connected"..."X.Y:Disconnected" messages
for drivers that were no longer connected to the server. This
has been fixed.
After many people had connected to and then disconnected from
a race server, a newly connecting driver would be assigned car
number 0, and would drive around in a car with no car number
painted on it. This has been fixed.
The rules shown to a client of a multiplayer Grand Prix race
indicated that there were two practice sessions, when there is
really only one. This has been fixed.
A GPL race server will now broadcast its status, and respond
to ping requests, while a race session is in progress. Previously,
it would only do this during qualifying sessions, and when it
was on the race setup screen.
There was no way to control a GPL server remotely. Remote
clients can now control a GPL server (we call anyone that can
control the server a "boss"). This is accomplished
by using a special form for the server password. Clients that
connect with the "boss" password will be able to control
the server. The password format is now "[access_pwd][/[boss_pwd]][=f.last_of_boss]"
(neither the brackets, nor the quotes, should be used, and anything
between a pair of brackets is optional). The password is not
case sensitive. The meaning of several example server passwords
is given below...
"" - No password specified. Anyone may connect to
the server. Only the server itself is a boss.
"private" - All clients must enter the password (private)
in order to connect to the server. Only the server itself is
a boss.
"private/secret" - All clients must enter the password
(private) in order to connect to the server. Any client that
also knows the boss password (secret), and gives the password
correctly (private/secret) will also be a boss of the server.
Note that this allows there to be more than one boss for the
server. Bosses must cooperate with each other!
"private/secret=f.smith" - Same as above, but any driver
whose last name is "smith", and whose first initial
is "f" will be given boss control over the server,
even if they don't enter the boss password (secret).
"/quiet" - Anyone may connect to the server without
specifying a password. Anyone that gives the boss password (/quiet)
will also be a boss.
"/" - This would be interesting! Anyone can connect
to the server without specifying a password. Everyone that connects
will be a boss.
There was no way to eject a player from a server. Any boss
may now remove a player using the "!eject" command.
The command should be entered as a chat message. The format of
the command is "!eject player", where player can either
be the "#" symbol along with the player's car number,
or the players name. For example,
"!eject #12"
"!eject smith"
"!eject f.smith"
"!eject fred.smith"
You can now launch GPL as either a client or a server by using
command line options. GPL will automatically advance to the multiplayer
setup screen, activate all the proper buttons, and launch/connect.
When launched as a client, the remote server's IP address is
not shown. When a launched client disconnects, it's given the
option to reconnect, but will otherwise exit the game. When a
launched server backs out of the track select screen, it exits
the game. See the description of the CLIENT and SERVER additions
to the core.ini file below. This capability is intended to be
used by systems such as VROC (see http://gpl.gamestats.com/vroc).
4. MULTIPLAYER - MODEM-to-MODEM
Several people have reported problems connecting using a direct
modem-to-modem connection. This is almost always because the
two computers have different notions of how fast the two modems
connected. We have changed the meaning of the connection speed
selection for a modem on GPL's multiplayer setup screen. It used
to mean: "Please try to connect at a speed no faster than
this, but use whatever speed the system tells GPL it has connected
at." Some systems seem to ignore the "please don't
connect any faster than this" request. Other systems seem
to report connect speeds that are higher than the actual speed
at which the two modems connected. Either of these situations
could lead to a failed connection.
This selection now means: "Please try to connect at a
speed no faster than this. If the system tells GPL that it connected
at a speed faster than this, assume it's lying and that the connection
actually occurred at this speed. If the system tells GPL that
it connected at a speed slower than this, use this slower speed."
This reduces, but does not eliminate, the possibility of a failed
connection. This also makes it essential that the host and the
client choose the same speed. We've also added a new selection
to the connect speed list, "Reported by modem". If
you did not previously have any problems connecting modem-to-modem,
use this selection (it has almost the same meaning as before).
If you still can't connect even when both the dialer and answerer
use the lowest speed in the dropdown list, there's one more thing
that you can try (you can also try this with GPL 1.0.0.0). In
the same folder as the GPL program (gpl.exe) create a text file
named core.ini using Notepad (or another plain text editor).
In this file, place the following two lines...
[ Communications ]
assumedModemConnectSpeed = baud_rate
Replace "baud_rate" with a baud rate that is no
greater than the actual speed at which the modems connect. For
example, if you know the modems are actually connecting at 24000bps,
use 24000. If you're unsure of the baud rate at which the modems
connect, it's probably best to guess low (normal speeds would
include 19200, 21600, 24000, 26400, 28800, etc.) If you guess
too high, the connection will probably be dropped before long
(if it's established at all). It is important that both the dialer
and answerer (client and server) use the same number.
5. MULTIPLAYER - FIREWALLS
With GPL 1.0.0.0 it was difficult, if not impossible, to configure
a firewall that would allow a GPL client or server to run behind
it. This should now be fixed. GPL now uses a range of 21 consecutive
ports ([32766..32786], by default) for client/server communications,
and ports 6970 for status broadcast and 6971 for ping responses.
To run from a machine with a private IP address behind a Linux
firewall, you need to use a combination of IP masquerading and
IP autoforwarding. According to "LINUX, The Complete Reference",
ipautofw can be obtained from ftp://ftp.netis.com/pub/members/rlynch/ipautofw.tar.gz.
The following three rules can be used.
ipfwadm -F -a accept -m -S a.a.a.a/m.m.m.m -D 0.0.0.0/0
ipautofw -A -r udp 6970 6971 -h a.a.a.a -v -u
ipautofw -A -r udp 32766 32786 -h a.a.a.a -v -u
where a.a.a.a is the address of the machine behind the firewall,
and m.m.m.m is the netmask. If you run a server behind the firewall,
clients should connect to the IP address of the firewall. If
you want to run more than one server behind a firewall, you'll
need to give each of the servers its own port ranges. In core.ini
on each of the additional server machines, add the following:
[ Communications ]
bcast_ping_port = A
bcast_port = B
net_server_port = C
For example, you might use A=6972, B=6973, C=32787 for the
second server, A=6974, B=6975, C=32808 for the third server,
etc.
6. NEW .INI FILE OPTIONS
The following options and/or sections have been added to core.ini.
Default values are shown.
[ Communications ]
bcast_ping_disable = 0 ; Disable response to pings
bcast_send_disable = 0 ; Disable server status broadcast
disable_modem = 0 ; Do not look for modems at startup
If you don't want your GPL server to respond to ping requests,
set bcast_ping_disable to 1 (note that even though the name includes
the word bcast, ping responses are not sent via broadcast). If
you don't want your GPL server to broadcast its status, set bcast_send_disable
to 1 (this option already existed in version 1.0.0.0). If you
don't intend to use GPL's modem-to-modem multiplayer ability,
you can set disable_modem to 1 to tell GPL not to look for modems.
This can make starting the program faster.
[ CLIENT ]
to_ip = ; numeric IP address to connect to
via_ip = ; numeric IP address to connect via
These two options are intended to be used by VROC, or similar
software, to launch GPL as a multiplayer client. Both must be
numeric IP addresses (#.#.#.# format). to_ip should be the IP
address of the GPL server. via_ip should be the numeric IP address
of the interface through which the GPL client will connect (if
a firewall is involved, this would be the actual IP address of
the client itself, not the IP address of the firewall behind
which the client sits). When both are set, GPL will automatically
advance to the multiplayer "join" setup screen and
attempt to connect to the GPL server. If the race is password
protected, you'll also need to specify the password on the command
line. The server's IP address is not shown to the user.
Example: gpl -ko"0:client:to_ip:5.4.3.2" -ko"0:client:via_ip:1.2.3.4"
-ko"0:server:password:wow!"
[ SERVER ]
dedicated = 0 ; Unattended - run server.ini races
launch = 0 ; Launch GPL as a mp server
max_latency = 0.0 ; Seconds. Set to 0.0 to disable
max_car_class = 0 ; 0=GP, 1=AdvT, 2=NovT
min_car_class = 2 ; 0=GP, 1=AdvT, 2=NovT
password = ; [access][/[boss]][=f.last]
If either dedicated or launch is set to 1, GPL will automatically
advance to the multiplayer "host" setup screen. Further,
if auto_launch is set to 1 for any active network connection
in server.ini (see below), GPL will automatically allow connections
on those interfaces, and advance to the track select screen.
If not, GPL will wait for the user to select the allowed connection
types and hit the green button to advance to the track select
screen. If dedicated is set to 1, GPL will then repeatedly cycle
through the consecutive list of valid races from race0..raceN
(up to and including race31) specified in server.ini. Sound and
3D graphics will be disabled, and the server itself will not
be allowed to join the race (this reduces the load on the CPU).
If dedicated is 0, then the set of races specified in server.ini
is ignored, and one of the server's bosses must control the server.
If max_latency is greater than 0, then it specifies the maximum
latency a client is allowed to have when they connect to the
server. If their latency is higher than this value, they are
not allowed to connect. Once connected, however, a client will
not be disconnected if their latency increases. If max_latency
is not greater than 0, then clients are allowed to connect regardless
of their latency.
min_car_class and max_car_class can be used to force everyone
that connects to the server to drive in a particular class of
car (novice trainer, advanced trainer, or Grand Prix car). Generally,
both of these should be set to the same value.
7. NEW .INI FILE - SERVER.INI
GPL 1.1.0.0 will create a new .ini file in its home directory
named server.ini. There are two main purposes for this file.
First, it keeps track of some information for each network address
on your machine. Second, it can contain a list of races that
an unattended GPL server will run in sequence repeatedly.
Server.ini will have a separate section with three values
for each TCP/IP and IPX address that GPL recognizes on your machine.
The sections are named ip0, ip1, ... ip5 for TCP/IP addresses,
and ipx0 and ipx1 for IPX addresses. The order is the same as
what is shown on the multiplayer-host setup screen. For example...
[ ip0 ]
addr = 129.9.6.19 ; Informational only!
auto_launch = 1 ; Allow connects when launched?
max_players = 5 ; Max players allowed
[ ipx0 ]
addr = F1F50002:00105A02FD1E ; Informational only!
auto_launch = 1 ; Allow connects when launched?
max_players = 19 ; Max players allowed
addr - This value is put into the server.ini file solely for
your information. When GPL reads the server.ini file, it ignores
this field.
auto_launch - If this value is 1, and GPL is launched as a multiplayer
server (either launch or dedicated is set to 1 in core.ini),
GPL will automatically allow connections on this interface.
max_players - This value reflects the maximum number of players
you select for a particular network interface on the multiplayer-host
setup screen.
If dedicated is set to 1 in the [SERVER] section of core.ini,
then GPL will run as a dedicated race server. It will automatically
cycle through the list of races specified in this file (server.ini).
List the races you want the server to run in sections named [race0],
[race1], etc., up to [race31]. The GPL server will run all races
in sequence starting at 0 until the track entry is empty or invalid.
It will then cycle back to race0 and start again. For example...
[ race0 ]
ai = 5 ; Number of AI
practice = 5 ; Number of minutes of practice
race_type = 4 ; 0=Nov,1/2=int s/l,3/4=pro s/l,5=GP
track = monza ; Track
ai - Specifies the number of AI cars that are to participate
in the race, from 0 to 19.
practice - Specifies the length of the practice session in minutes,
from 1 to 120.
race_type - Specifies the type of race. 0 = Novice, 1 = Intermediate-short,
2 = Intermediate-long, 3 = Pro-short, 4 = Pro-long, 5 = Grand
Prix.
track - Specifies the name of the directory that contains the
track (kyalami, mexico, monaco, monza, mosport, nurburg, rouen,
silver, spa, watglen, zandvort).
The server will leave the track and advance to the next race
three minutes after Race Control has completed scoring. It will
warn all the clients when there is one minute remaining before
it leaves the track. To prevent the server from automatically
starting the next race in the sequence, hold the left shift key
down on the server while the server leaves the track. While at
the race setup screen you can then hit the red button to exit
the program. Or, you can alter the race parameters and hit the
green button to continue.
8. NEW DEFAULT CAR SETUPS
New default car setups for all of the Grand Prix cars are
included. The original default setups are, generally, faster
when driven by an experienced driver than these new setups. The
new setups are, generally, more forgiving for inexperienced drivers
and, within a given chassis type, have a more consistent "feel"
from track to track.
9. CONTACTING SIERRA
A) Customer Service, Support, and Sales
B) Technical Support
C) Legal Information
A) Customer Service, Support, and Sales
----------------------------------
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Disk/CD replacements in the U.K. are £6.00,
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On-Line Sales
CompuServe United Kingdom:GO UKSIERRA
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CompuServe Germany: GO DESIERRA
Internet USA: http://www.sierra.com
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Disk and or Manual Replacement:
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NOTE: To replace your disk(s) please send only Disk #1 (or the
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* Returns to this address valid in North America only.
B) TECHNICAL SUPPORT
-------------------------
North America
Sierra On-Line offers a 24-hour automated technical support
line with recorded answers to the most frequently asked technical
questions. To access this service, call (425) 644-4343, and follow
the recorded instructions to find your specific topic and resolve
the issue. If this fails to solve your problem, you may still
write, or fax us with your questions, or contact us via our Web
site.
Sierra On-Line
Technical Support
P.O. Box 85006
Bellevue, WA 98015-8506
Main: (425) 644-4343
Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.- 4:45 p.m. PST
Fax: (425) 644-7697
http://www.sierra.com
support@sierra.com
United Kingdom
Havas Interactive offers a 24-hour Automated Technical Support
line with recorded answers to the most frequently asked technical
questions. To access this service, call (0118) 920-9111, and
follow the recorded instructions to find your specific topic
and resolve the issue. If this fails to solve your problem, you
may still write, or fax us with your questions, or contact us
via our Internet or CompuServe sites.
Havas Interactive
2 Beacontree Plaza,
Gillette Way,
Reading, Berkshire
RG2 0BS United Kingdom
Main: (0118) 920-9111
Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Fax: (0118) 987-5603
http://www.sierra-online.co.uk
France
Havas Interactive
Parc Tertiaire de Meudon
Immeuble "Le Newton"
25 rue Jeanne Braconnier
92366 Meudon La Forêt Cedex
France
Téléphone: 01-46-01-46-50
Lundi au Jeudi de 10h à 19h
Vendredi de 10h à 18h
Fax: 01-46-30-00-65
http://www.sierra.fr
Germany
Havas Interactive
Robert-Bosh-Str. 32
D-63303 Dreieich
Deutschland
Tel: (0) 6103-99-40-40
Montag bis Freitag von 9 - 19Uhr
Fax: (0) 6103-99-40-35
Mailbox: (0) 6103-99-40-35
http://www.sierra.de
Spain
Havas Interactive
Avenida de Burgos 9
1º-OF2
28036 Madrid
Spain
Teléfono: (01) 383-2623
Lunes a Viernes de 9h30 a 14h y de 15h a 18h30
Fax: (01) 381-2437
Italy
Contattare il vostro distribotore.
C) Sierra Warranty & Legal Information
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