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Does anyone run Ace level with keyboard?

Posted: 29.09.2019, 21:41
by GP2tifoso28
Ok, so been playing a lot of gp4 lately and usually run semi-professional with the keyboard. I'm able to challenge for wins on this level but not dominate.

In gp3 with a keyboard I can run ace and be a contender, so I thought it was time to get back into gp2. I started a championship on ace level 20% distance driving for Ferrari and I suck.

I qualified 23rd at Interlagos and didn't even make it through the first corner before I torpedoed brundle and ripped off my front right suspension.

Then I got to Aida where I qualified 20th (just behind Jos Verstappen) and made ground on the first few laps, was somewhere in the mid pack before I gyrated the car at the turn 2-3 section, then as I was trying to get back on the track I collided with Brabham's Simtek and destroyed the car.

I felt personally embarrassed so I quit the championship and went down to semi pro level. Is anyone here actually capable of running Ace level on keyboard and being competitive? It seems almost impossible to me

Re: Does anyone run Ace level with keyboard?

Posted: 29.09.2019, 23:01
by roland ratzenberger
hello friend.. it depends on many things. set up , team carset etc.. for example i run a 2000 ace championship with ferrari and in the coming weeks i will start a 1997 championship again with ferrari but on semi pro level.. for some reason gp2 is the most difficult of all the gpx series in the ace level...

Re: Does anyone run Ace level with keyboard?

Posted: 30.09.2019, 00:01
by GP2tifoso28
True I guess it's a pointless question since every carset is going to have a different performance level. These days I mainly run the standard version of the sim without any mods, because that's the way I always used to play it.

I would say that semi-pro is probably my level, I can win on semi-pro but not dominate, much like gp4. For some reason gp3 on ace has always been relatively ok for me, I even remember back in the day I was always running ace on gp3.

I re ran the Brazil race using my post quali save state, I would have finished 14th if I didn't crash trying to keep Alboreto's Minardi behind me, and I set only the 20th fastest lap time in the race. I was even slower than Jos Verstappen. Maybe I'll run the rest of the season to find out if I can improve. The best I can hope for is to beat Brundle or Verstappen which isn't saying much but at least they're making my speed look semi decent

Re: Does anyone run Ace level with keyboard?

Posted: 30.09.2019, 07:47
by roland ratzenberger
let me give you a simple tip-trick. while you load the carset via gp2 editor you can then go to car settings and untick the use selected team power option by doing this then you can maniipulate the power in race and qualification above and make your car as fast as you want so that you can cope with the level you want.. let me say that this is a cheap shot and i would not recommend it .. the better solution is to improve your driving skills and try to improve the setup.. i am not technical and i do not know much about setyps of the car etc.. but you can look also the set up section in this site .. there are excellent set ups. :D

Re: Does anyone run Ace level with keyboard?

Posted: 30.09.2019, 08:35
by GP2tifoso28
Haha well I don't load the carset through gp2edit, I always keep a clean gp2 install saved and then when I mod the sim I always mod from a clean copy. This way I can go back to the original game at any time without messing around.

Anyway I don't like the idea of manipulating the results, I'll continue to try and improve through practice and car set up. As long as I can be the best of the mediocre team mates (I'm looking at you Brundle and Verstappen) then I guess I'll be happy enough (for Now)

Re: Does anyone run Ace level with keyboard?

Posted: 30.09.2019, 11:56
by ismael
Hello! I'm doing Ace level with keyboard and it's looking good. I'm doing Ace level 50% RD, in the original carset, driving with DC.
I have 26 points after 3 races - something I had never achieved in my teens, and back then I used a wheel.

I'm doing new carsets and experimenting new tracks, but at the same time I'm willing to check if I can reach - and surpass - my driving levels of the past. What I suggest is working with the race setups, which is my favorite/preferred part of the game. My race setups now are way more developed than during my teens, as I understand English better and I have internet to get the meaning of words and resources, especially from this site.

The consequence of this is that I can take months between doing two races. But it felt great to win at Aida/Pacific GP; it was something unthinkable in the past, I could not get the car working on all those slow corners in sectors 2 and 3.

Re: Does anyone run Ace level with keyboard?

Posted: 30.09.2019, 12:34
by roland ratzenberger
GP2tifoso28 wrote:
30.09.2019, 08:35
Haha well I don't load the carset through gp2edit, I always keep a clean gp2 install saved and then when I mod the sim I always mod from a clean copy. This way I can go back to the original game at any time without messing around.

Anyway I don't like the idea of manipulating the results, I'll continue to try and improve through practice and car set up. As long as I can be the best of the mediocre team mates (I'm looking at you Brundle and Verstappen) then I guess I'll be happy enough (for Now)
excuse me but i dont understand .. what do yoy mean you dont use the gp2 edit to load carse :-k :-k :-k ts..

Re: Does anyone run Ace level with keyboard?

Posted: 30.09.2019, 15:39
by rremedio
For original GP2 (no custom carsets and tracks) I have a hard time beating the computer if I leave F7 enabled (assuming I'm using a setup that will give me the same top speeds as the computer). I need a really good setup in order to beat the race, but I usually in the top 6 since the computer car performances are not very close to each other in original GP2.

With F7 disabled it is a lot easier but still a fun challenge depending on the track, but you need to change your lower gear ratios so you don't get too much wheelspin.

If using hotlaping setups it becomes very easier (seconds faster than the fastest computer cars) but that's no fun since it makes us so much faster, specially at straight lines.

For custom tracks and carsets, I always go through the daunting process of adjusting cc setups and magic data so I have a good challenge.

Re: Does anyone run Ace level with keyboard?

Posted: 30.09.2019, 18:59
by ismael
Nice points from Rremedio; yes, please mind that with keyboard I always leave F2 and F7 on. To me it's impossible not to generate wheelspin with keyboard, by shutting down the traction control. I assume F2 and F7 as necessary if playing with keyboard, as Geoff Crammond left them originally available in Ace level (but that's me, of course).

Re: Does anyone run Ace level with keyboard?

Posted: 30.09.2019, 19:16
by rremedio
By disabling F2 you can also gain some time (a lot of time depending on the track). But I really don't like the keyboard layout for gears so I usually leave it on. But I separate the gear up and down buttons (Space for up and CTRL for down since it doesn't give me another button option) because it gives me a bit more control when I want a gear change and the auto gear is taking too long.

I usually also run with F7 on when driving fast (F1-like) carsets. I had enough time without F7 with my decade as a hotlap competitor in many leagues, and running with F7 on is a nice change and it makes it easier to setup races where the ccs are challenging.

But when driving low power carsets (like F3 cars, or cars from the 60s etc) F7 becomes unbearable for me.

Re: Does anyone run Ace level with keyboard?

Posted: 30.09.2019, 22:04
by GP2tifoso28
roland ratzenberger wrote:
30.09.2019, 12:34
GP2tifoso28 wrote:
30.09.2019, 08:35
Haha well I don't load the carset through gp2edit, I always keep a clean gp2 install saved and then when I mod the sim I always mod from a clean copy. This way I can go back to the original game at any time without messing around.

Anyway I don't like the idea of manipulating the results, I'll continue to try and improve through practice and car set up. As long as I can be the best of the mediocre team mates (I'm looking at you Brundle and Verstappen) then I guess I'll be happy enough (for Now)
excuse me but i dont understand .. what do yoy mean you dont use the gp2 edit to load carse :-k :-k :-k ts..
I mean that I'm using the original carset only and no mods, so no need for gp2edit and I'm happy with how The original game plays, I can't even win in pro level so my driving clearly needs improvement. I don't remember being this bad but then again I have no idea what difficulty I used to run (definitely not ace)
ismael wrote:
30.09.2019, 11:56
Hello! I'm doing Ace level with keyboard and it's looking good. I'm doing Ace level 50% RD, in the original carset, driving with DC.
I have 26 points after 3 races - something I had never achieved in my teens, and back then I used a wheel.

I'm doing new carsets and experimenting new tracks, but at the same time I'm willing to check if I can reach - and surpass - my driving levels of the past. What I suggest is working with the race setups, which is my favorite/preferred part of the game. My race setups now are way more developed than during my teens, as I understand English better and I have internet to get the meaning of words and resources, especially from this site.

The consequence of this is that I can take months between doing two races. But it felt great to win at Aida/Pacific GP; it was something unthinkable in the past, I could not get the car working on all those slow corners in sectors 2 and 3.
That's impressive! I'm definitely going to have to start getting into set-ups, I might try to develop my own just using the original manual as a guide. At least I know it's possible now, thanks ismael. I was honestly starting to think it wasn't technically possible to run ace/keyboard
rremedio wrote:
30.09.2019, 15:39
For original GP2 (no custom carsets and tracks) I have a hard time beating the computer if I leave F7 enabled (assuming I'm using a setup that will give me the same top speeds as the computer). I need a really good setup in order to beat the race, but I usually in the top 6 since the computer car performances are not very close to each other in original GP2.

With F7 disabled it is a lot easier but still a fun challenge depending on the track, but you need to change your lower gear ratios so you don't get too much wheelspin.

If using hotlaping setups it becomes very easier (seconds faster than the fastest computer cars) but that's no fun since it makes us so much faster, specially at straight lines.

For custom tracks and carsets, I always go through the daunting process of adjusting cc setups and magic data so I have a good challenge.
Interesting, I'll try and run without f7 and see how I go, but I'll definitely keep auto gears (I already tried that and it wasn't pretty)... All in all I'm 3 seconds off the best pace. Maybe I'll have a season with Minardi instead of bringing shame to Ferrari

Re: Does anyone run Ace level with keyboard?

Posted: 30.09.2019, 22:23
by ismael
I could add a detail: when I reinstalled GP2 for the first time after 13 or 14 years (which was in 2014), I tried to normally qualify in Ace level at Spa (regular game, no mods) and inserted a setup as I saw fit just relying on memory (no further research).

I was 23th or 24th, and I thought "what a hell?!" Then I realized that neither the setup nor my driving were optimized, both needed practice... this game is a serious simulator.

In a book published at the time, Jacques Villeneuve mentioned that in his first F1 season (1996), as he didn't know the circuits due to his North America career, and long before modern simulators, he used videogames to learn some tracks. He just didn't mention if it was GP2.

Re: Does anyone run Ace level with keyboard?

Posted: 30.09.2019, 22:49
by GP2tifoso28
ismael wrote:
30.09.2019, 22:23
I could add a detail: when I reinstalled GP2 for the first time after 13 or 14 years (which was in 2014), I tried to normally qualify in Ace level at Spa (regular game, no mods) and inserted a setup as I saw fit just relying on memory (no further research).

I was 23th or 24th, and I thought "what a hell?!" Then I realized that neither the setup nor my driving were optimized, both needed practice... this game is a serious simulator.

In a book published at the time, Jacques Villeneuve mentioned that in his first F1 season (1996), as he didn't know the circuits due to his North America career, and long before modern simulators, he used videogames to learn some tracks. He just didn't mention if it was GP2.
I totally agree, this is a proper simulator. Maybe for the first time I will have to start taking set ups and practice sessions seriously, and learn how to view and analyse telemetry. Luckily I have the original manual for the sim.

I think it was Mika Salo who introduced it to Jacques, so I think Geoff Crammond can claim some success for the 1997 world championship

Re: Does anyone run Ace level with keyboard?

Posted: 30.09.2019, 23:31
by rremedio
GP2tifoso28 wrote:
30.09.2019, 22:04
Interesting, I'll try and run without f7 and see how I go, but I'll definitely keep auto gears (I already tried that and it wasn't pretty)... All in all I'm 3 seconds off the best pace. Maybe I'll have a season with Minardi instead of bringing shame to Ferrari
I would suggest that you keep F7 enabled and try to improve that way (changing setups and improving your driving) until you are closer to the pace before disabling F7. I remember disabling F7 for the first time being very unpleasant, and it makes even harder to have a good pace in consecutive laps.

But if you try it and you think you can get used to it easily, you will surely be a lot faster.

Re: Does anyone run Ace level with keyboard?

Posted: 01.10.2019, 08:23
by Laahustaja
GP2tifoso28 wrote:
30.09.2019, 22:49
ismael wrote:
30.09.2019, 22:23
In a book published at the time, Jacques Villeneuve mentioned that in his first F1 season (1996), as he didn't know the circuits due to his North America career, and long before modern simulators, he used videogames to learn some tracks. He just didn't mention if it was GP2.
I totally agree, this is a proper simulator. Maybe for the first time I will have to start taking set ups and practice sessions seriously, and learn how to view and analyse telemetry. Luckily I have the original manual for the sim.

I think it was Mika Salo who introduced it to Jacques, so I think Geoff Crammond can claim some success for the 1997 world championship
Awesome info, I did not know that Mika Salo had any type of background with race sims. Though I think Villeneuve used to run iracing as well when it was first published in 2007 or so.