GRAPHICS:

The graphics look a bit out dated for a simulation being released in the year 2000, but the more you play, the more you start to appreciate them. Some things, like the walls, look very pixelated even in hardware mode when you get close to them. This isn't a problem when you're driving, and GP3 manages to look more "realistic" than other racing games, where the graphics have been over-filtered. It really comes alive in resolutions of 1024x768 and 1280x1024. On my system going from 800x600 to 1024x768 I didn't take too much of a performance hit at all. Running a resolution of 1024x768 with some details turned off, I get 50-70% processor occupancy while driving alone without AI cars too close to me. When I get very close to the other cars, for example, during starts, the occupancy can go well over 100%. This happens especially in wet conditions and suggests that the game could use some more CPU power.

What is this processor occupancy stuff? GP3 handles the graphics a little differently to other games. You fix the frame rate in the options (25.6 fps for example) and the game maintains this all the time. If the CPU gets too busy, for example, if you have too many graphics options turned on, the processor occupancy goes over 100% and this is when the game goes into "slow-motion." This is not very desirable as you lose the feeling of speed completely. It also means that a 1m30s lap can take 2 minutes in real time.

One area where GP3's graphics really shine is in wet conditions. You see the reflections on the track and this is not just eye-candy, because it helps you see which parts of the track are wetter than others. The spray from the other cars is also in the game, although watching some wet races on TV, there could be more of it.

SOUNDS:

The sounds are also a big part of a racing simulation. They help you judge your speed and also offer some feedback on what the car is doing. Most importantly sounds can make or break the feeling of being in a racecar. GP3's engine sound, sounds a lot like the one in GP2. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, when comparing it to some other simulations. The other sounds are also well done, braking into a corner and shifting down offers some nice audio. One glaring omission, also carried over from GP2, is the missing sound of other cars. You can only hear the other cars when you are in the pits, when you are driving you hear nothing. This doesn't help in close situations, because you can't really judge where the other cars are. I don't know how much you hear in a real F1 car, but looking at M. Schumacher's comments that he can hear the crowd cheering in the stadium section at Hockenheim, you should hear something.

Menu music is not at all important for me. There is some in GP3, and it's not horrible but I turned it off after a few days of playing.

MULTIPLAYER:

Internet multiplay is very popular nowadays and this is where GP3 falls short, as there is no support for that option in the game. You can have a game between two players by connecting via a serial cable or a modem. There is also the possibility for a network game, where you can have more than two players.

One interesting feature is the "hotseat" mode. Up to 22 drivers can drive a race with the same computer by taking turns in driving. The computer then drives the other cars. This is a nice feature but doesn't make up for the lack of Internet multiplayer support, as this is a big negative for a racing game these days.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE:

AI (artificial intelligence) isn't probably that important in racing simulations anymore due to the popularity of online racing. In GP3 the AI has clearly got a lot of attention, maybe, because of the poor multiplayer support. The AI cars are generally very aggressive. They sometimes prevent you from passing them by taking the inside line into a corner and on a straight they follow you to get into the slipstream, even if you change your line. They also make mistakes, lock-up brakes and so on. Their driving lines are good, although there usually are one or two places on a track where they are slow and as a result quite easy to overtake. You can only change the AI cars' speed by changing the difficulty level, which is a shame because even on the most difficult setting (Ace) they can be too easy to beat for many. I have driven a few races and I usually qualify on the pole with at least a 2 second gap to 2nd place.

The AI drivers do some stupid things, too. Once I was leading a race and lapping a backmarker on a straight when he just turned into me and as a result both cars ended upside down. Sometimes they are even a bit too aggressive and push you off the road. Usually they drive very well, though, and they can really pass each other. There's almost too much passing going on compared to what you see in real F1 races. In general the AI is one of the best I've seen.

WEATHER:

Let's talk more about what may be the best feature of GP3, the dynamic weather. The way the weather is implemented in GP3 is revolutionary for racing simulations, because it can rain on one part of a track, while other parts are completely dry. The amount of rain falling down from the sky can also change during a race. This adds a lot to the experience, as you have to think about your tyre choice and tactics. As I told you earlier, the graphics in wet conditions are great. When the rain has stopped you can see a dry line forming. One nice feature is that you can cool down the wet tyres by driving off-line, where there's still some water on the track and this actually helps laptimes. Before each session you get a weather forecast for the next two hours to help decide on your strategy. It shows the possibility of rain, and how hard it might be. The weather forecast isn't always accurate so you might end up having some surprises during a race.

Driving in the rain is very tricky as you might imagine and requires a lot of concentration. In the rain GP3's driving model actually feels very good. If you step on the throttle too quickly coming out of a corner the back-end steps away immediately and you can have those quick slides as the real drivers do. There are four different rain tyres available. Intermediates for dry/wet conditions, soft or hard wet tyres for moderate rain, and monsoon tyres for, well, monsoon rain. The tyres have different grip values in different conditions and making a wrong decision during a pit stop might cost you even a few seconds per lap.

CAR SETUP & TELEMETRY:

There are many car setup options in GP3. Most are familiar and are carried over from GP2, like the wing and gear ratio settings. In the advanced car setup menu there is one new setting, the differential, which you can set to low, medium or high. Other settings in the advanced menu include springs and anti roll bars for example. There are some missing options, you can't set the tyre camber. There are lots of options to tweak here, and you can feel the changes in car behaviour on the track very well. One thing to help you in setting up the car is telemetry.

Telemetry is where GP3 has a huge advantage over some of its competitors. After driving a few laps you can study the data and see, for example, where the car is bottoming out, if you're getting too much wheel spin or you can determine the best aerodynamic settings for a given track. You can also compare graphs from two different laps and see where you are losing the most time. One can spend a lot of time studying the telemetry and this adds another dimension to the game.

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