Make a new GT4 program?

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MastrGT
There is a new group of players around that seem to know how to program, so I was wondering if anyone is interested in looking at how they could support GT4 over a LAN or the Internet.

I'm not sure if "MK" is still around to take any interest. I saw one message indicating he hasn't been heard from in quite some time, but who am I to say... I don't know who he is to look for him.

The kind of support I was thinking of was something dealing with Ethernet data beyond what we think PD may include in the game. For example, I doubt that they will let us record on-line replays, but the data travels across the ether, so it should be able to be captured by a PC. Timing data should be able to be extracted from that, so a real-time, blow-by-blow race account should be possible. It should also be able to check up on the validity of the cars, from whatever settings are actually available.

Since a GT4 on-line audience is supposed to be possible, is there anything that can be done for them?

There are at least a couple of Nintendo GameBoy programs out there that use the handheld as a display unit. Is there any way that it could be used in conjunction with GT4?
http://www.icardus.com
http://www.turboxs.com/Dtec/dtec.shtml

I only thought about this an hour ago, so what other ideas do you have?

Cheers,

MasterGT
 
Dam, that would kick so much ass... Especially for On-Line racing, you'd race and all would be processed onto a website within seconds. All that you need is programmer, it's got to be possible!
 
Its definately feasible, I can program, but not at that level. I would probably post this over in the Programming Forum as well.
 
There was a post about this at IGN in the GT news section. some company from the U.K. already has the software developed if I remember correctly. Someone who is bored can look through all the news articles to try to find it (hint - it is probably in or just after the announcement that GT4 would not have online.)

Edit: I guess I was the one bored enough to find this

Interestingly enough, there is one company in Europe that fools the PS2 into the world of Internet gaming. In essence, the application kick starts the PS2 into a game of LAN, but instead being side-by-side the units could be hundreds of miles apart. Since GT4 will support LAN plan we might be able to play over the Internet with this hack.

According to the site, you plug your console into your PC and the software will let you play against people across the world. It's a bit of a hack, but those who have tested it say there is minimal lag. And the game already has anti-lag built in for Lan to adjust for issues with the network.

It's hard to say what will happen. The LAN-gone-Internet application is only a temporary fix. Game comes out in December. Sony hasn't given us a concrete date for the online version. If the team starts back up in Dec/Jan it'll only need a few months to test the online to get it right. Especially when you consider that the mode was already in there and probably had only a few major bugs.
IGN ARTICLE
 
WingZero
How is it different?
A few people didn't read what I wrote very well (so maybe I wasn't clear enough...).

I am not suggesting people write an Ethernet way of LANing for GT4 (that's PD's job), I am suggesting that _all race data_ is available to us, so why not use it? If some smart cookie could record the real-time timing information (and who knows what else), then we could have records that PD probably won't give us. GT3 didn't allow us to record long replays, but data collecting would get around that kind of limitation in GT4. Somebody will identify something that they wished PD included but didn't. I'm suggesting getting a headstart on this.

It could be used to automatically verify that all cars meet the host's pre-set criteria for a race _before_ the race even starts, _without_ the need to verify post-race. Bells could warn the host to restrict a non-compliant player, if s/he doesn't meet _every_ parts rule, for example. Break the rules and you _can't_ race, if we empower the hosts. Chances are slim that PD will go that far.

The thing is, once you have the data, it's up to _us_ what we do with it.

Please read the top post thoroughly again.

Cheers,

MasterGT
 
I'm hoping you'll be able to save LAN race replays in the first place. But the ideas about verification and automatic online records are nice.
 
Sven
I'm hoping you'll be able to save LAN race replays in the first place. But the ideas about verification and automatic online records are nice.
Thank you, Sven!

I doubt we will be able to save much replay info because the overhead is soooo tight as it is. But even if it is possible, I am sure other ideas could add so much more to a 3rd party program.

I still haven't heard anything from programmers who think they could work on this.

Cheers,
 
MasterGT
A few people didn't read what I wrote very well (so maybe I wasn't clear enough...).

I am not suggesting people write an Ethernet way of LANing for GT4 (that's PD's job), I am suggesting that _all race data_ is available to us, so why not use it? If some smart cookie could record the real-time timing information (and who knows what else), then we could have records that PD probably won't give us. GT3 didn't allow us to record long replays, but data collecting would get around that kind of limitation in GT4. Somebody will identify something that they wished PD included but didn't. I'm suggesting getting a headstart on this.

It could be used to automatically verify that all cars meet the host's pre-set criteria for a race _before_ the race even starts, _without_ the need to verify post-race. Bells could warn the host to restrict a non-compliant player, if s/he doesn't meet _every_ parts rule, for example. Break the rules and you _can't_ race, if we empower the hosts. Chances are slim that PD will go that far.

The thing is, once you have the data, it's up to _us_ what we do with it.

Please read the top post thoroughly again.

Cheers,

MasterGT

Rich people would be very intrested in getting their hands on the telemetry data if it's available in real time.... there's a motion simulator that works with several PC games, if there was a way to get the telemetry data on the fly, it would work with GT4...
 
Well it's obviously possible to get telemetry from the game. How else would the GT4 simulators work?

But a GT replay is just a timeline of throttle, brake, and steering inputs, along with a settings file and basic environmental data.

MrGT: I'd be surprised if system/network overhead was a limiting factor in saving LAN replays, unless it really, REALLY needs that extra 100kb of RAM.
 
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