GRAND PRIX LEGENDS SETUP MANAGER--v1.1.8
Lee Bowden
2 Nov 2010

WHAT IS GPL SETUP MANAGER?

GPL Setup Manager is a stand alone program for modifying the chassis setup values without having to start GPL.  You can easily load and modify any of your existing GPL setup files or create new ones.

It will work for all major mods--1965, 1966, 1967, 1969, and 1967 Sports Car Mod.

In addition, GPL Setup Manager contains updated engine specification charts for every engine currently used by any mod.

GEM+ car images are displayed with its setup.

DOES GPL SETUP MANAGER REPLACE GPL RACE ENGINEER?

Yes.  GPL Setup Manager completely replicates GPL Race Engineer (GPLRE) and can be used instead.  In addition, GPL Setup Manager works for all mod years (1965, 1966, 1967, 1969, and 1967 Sports Car Mod) whereas GPLRE will only work for the original 1967 setup files.

Note:  The help file with GPLRE still contains some of the best setup information available.  You may want to keep this file for reference.

INSTALLATION:

To run GPL Setup Manager, you must have the Visual Basic runtime file, Msvbvm60.dll, installed in your Windows\System directory for Windows 98 or \System32 directory for Windows XP.  Windows 98 and XP automatically include this file.  If you don't have it already, you may download the file from Microsoft at:

	http://download.microsoft.com/download/5/a/d/5ad868a0-8ecd-4bb0-a882-fe53eb7ef348/VB6.0-KB290887-X86.exe

In addition, you also need to have the file, COMDLG32.OCX,installed in your \System 32 directory for Windows XP.  This file is NOT automatically installed with Windows XP or Vista.  The latest version is included with this package; however, you may also download the file at:

	http://www.angelfire.com/biz/rhaminisys/binaries/vb6ctrls.zip.

Be sure to install the COMDLG32.OCX file only.

HOW DOES GPL USE CHASSIS SETUP FILES?

The gpl.exe accesses a unique setup file for each chassis at each track.  These setup files are stored inside track directories within GPL's "Players\Player Name\Setups" directory.  As you may create several different players, each player will have his own set of setup files.

I highly recommend that you create individual player names for each mod to keep your setup files separate.

Each chassis setup file has a three-letter extension that identifies the chassis.  These suffixes are:

1965 Mod: bb1 (Brabham BT11), br1 (BRM), co1 (Cooper), ea1 (Brabham BT7), fe1 (Ferrari), lo1 (Lotus), mu1 (Honda).

1966 Mod: bb1 (Brabham BT19), bc1 (Brabham BT11--Climax 2.5L), bd1 (Brabham BT11--Climax 2.7L) , be1 (Brabham BT11--BRM 2.0L), br1 (BRM P83), bs1 (BRM 261), co1 (Cooper), eb1 (Eagle--Weslake), ea1 (Eagle--Climax 2.7L), fe1 (Ferrari 312), ff1 (Ferrari 246), mu1 (Honda), lo1 (Lotus 43), lp1 (Lotus 33--Climax 2.0L), lq1 (Lotus--BRM 2.0L), and mc1 (McLaren).
 
1967 Original:  bb1 (Brabham), br1 (BRM), co1 (Cooper), ea1 (Eagle), fe1 (Ferrari), lo1 (Lotus), mu1 (Honda).

1969 Mod:  bb1 (Brabham), br1 (BRM), co1 (Lotus 63), ea1 (McLaren), fe1 (Ferrari), lo1 (Lotus 49), mu1 (Matra).

Sports Car Mod:  ga1 (Ford MkIIB), gb1 (Chaparral 2D), gc1 (Lola T70), gd1 (Chaparral 2F), ge1 (Ferrari 330/P4), gf1 (Ford MkIV), gg1 (Mirage M1), gh1 (Ford MkI), gi1 (Porsche 910).

The file suffixes are confusing.  Different chassis from different mod years share the same extensions.  To make matters worse, the original 1965 mod and 1967 .exe use a smaller setup file format than the 1966 and 1969 mods.  However, recent patches to the 1965 mod and 1967 .exe have caused them to use the newer and larger setup file format that the 1966 and 1969 mods do.  As a result, it is often impossible for Setup Manager to determine which mod a setup file belongs.  When this happens, Setup Manager will ask you to select the applicable mod.  

OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS:

When GPL Setup Manager starts for the first time, it will ask you for the path to a gpl.exe file within your installed GPL directory.  Once set, the program remembers the path and uses it for subsequent starts.  This new version of GPL Setup Manager will work with multiple GPL installations.

GPL Setup Manager uses default setup files for each mod year during its initial startup.  Do not delete these files from the program's directory as it will not work properly without them.  You may change the default setups by saving the information to a new file and renaming it appropriately.  Just be sure to use the ".gplsm" suffix.

FILE Menu Items:

	1.  NEW:  Creates an entirely new setup file window.

	2.  OPEN:  Displays a standard open dialog window for selecting an existing setup file.

	3.  SAVE:  Saves the displayed settings to the loaded setup file using the same file name.

	4.  SAVE AS:  Saves the displayed settings to another file using a new file name.

	5.  REVERT TO DEFAULT:  Creates a new setup file using the default settings for that mod year.

	6.  EXPORT TEXT FILE:  Exports the displayed settings to a text file for later review or print.

	7.  EXIT:  Exits the program.

TOOLS Menu Items:

	1.  ADD INSTALL:  Adds an additional installation to the list of install directories.

	2.  DELETE INSTALL:  Deletes an installation from the list of install directories.  Note that is it is not possible to delete the last remaining installation.

	3.  IMPORT CHASSIS:  Loads the chassis settings only from another setup file.

	4.  IMPORT DRIVETRAIN:  Loads the drivetrain settings only from another setup file.

	5.  REVERSE CHASSIS SETTINGS:  Swaps left and right side settings

	6.  SAVE AS FORMAT:  SHORT FORMAT saves a 1965 or 1967 setup file in the original, but older and shorter format.  Select this setting if you have NOT patched your 1965 or 1967 .exes.  LONG FORMAT saves the file in the newer, longer format.  Select this setting if you have patched your 1965 or 1967 .exes.  Note that 1966, 1969, and the Sports Car Mod setups are always saved in the newer, longer format.  Also note that the SAVE menu selection always uses the same format as the currently loaded file.

HELP Menu Items:

	1.  HELP:  Displays this help file

	2.  ABOUT GPL SETUP MANAGER:  Self explanatory

DETAILED OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS:

	1.  The top row of labels and drop boxes contains several important items.  The Install Directory drop down box contains the currently selected installation directory.  The Mod Year drop box contains the currently selected mod year.  The Chassis drop box contains the currently selected chassis.  The Formula drop box contains the currently selected formula.  The combination of the Mod Year, Chassis, and Formula indicates to GPL Setup Manager which setup file extension to attach to any saved files.  The Install Directory, Player Directory, and Track Directory drop boxes tell GPL Setup Manager where to open or save the setup file.  However, you may change the location during the file save dialog.

To repeat, the Mod Year, Chassis, and Formula drop boxes dictate WHAT file type is saved while the Install Directory, Player Directory, and Track Directory drop boxes dictate WHERE the file is saved.

The File Name label is the name of the currently loaded setup file including its extension.  

The Display Option radio buttons select whether to display the setup information in english or metric units.  This does not affect the actual setup values as the setup file always stores the information in english units.

The "arrow" buttons increase or decrease each setup parameter just like GPL's setup page.  The drop boxes also select parameter settings just like GPL.

GPL Setup Manager uses a wider range of setup values for some parameters to give you more control over your setups.

In addition, extra edit options are included:

	1.  Asymmetric Check Box--when selected, the left and right side settings may be different.  This option cannot be selected simultaneously with Proportional Springs.
	2.  Fine Check Box Check Box--when selected, the setting change increments and decrements are smaller for more precise setup control.
	3.  Constant Rollbars Check Box--when selected, the total roll bar force, both front and rear, is held constant.  As you increase one end, the other decreases by the same amount.
	4.  Proportional Springs Check Box--when selected, the total wheel rate at each end is proportional to the chassis weight distribution.  When you increase the front wheel rates, the rear wheel rates increase proportionally and vice versa.  This option cannot be selected simultaneously with Asymmetric edit.

When using the NEW menu item, an entirely new window and program are created.

When using the Import Chassis and Drivetrain menus, you will get an error message if you try to import an incompatible file to the existing setup.  For example, you cannot import a 1967 drivetrain into a 1965 mod setup because the differential gear IDs are not alike.

The REVERSE CHASSIS SETTINGS menu item swaps the left and right side chassis settings for easier use of asymmetric setups.

NONSTANDARD SETUPS:

Some previous setup manager programs allowed nonstandard setups.  For example, it was possible to apply 1965 Mod extended gear ratios to the 1967 setups.  Many users have created past setups with these nonstandard gear ratios.  In addition, some of these setup programs did not save all of the necessary information; they may have only saved the gear ratio number (3.444 for example) which is required for the physics, but not the gear ratio (31/9 for example) which is required for display.  Setup Manager attempts to work around this by choosing the closest available gear ratio that matches the setup.

METRIC SETUP FILES:

For those who want to have more user friendly metric setup files, there is a set of default files in the Metric Setup Data directory.  Merely copy these files into the Setup Manager directory and allow overwrite of the existing SAE files.  To revert to SAE, use the files in the SAE Setup Data directory.

The optional metric setup files simply allow increments and decrements in even metric units.

GEM+ STARTUP:  

The newest version of GEM+ will automatically use this program as the default setup manager.  To do so, install the program to the GPLSecrets directory.  The program must reside in the GPL Secrets\GPL Setup Manager subdirectory.

As an alternative, install the program anywhere you like.  Then with GEM+ running, select the Configure and Path to GRE buttons.  Use the open dialog window to point to your GPL Setup Manager.exe file.  Thereafter, whenever you select GEM+'s Edit button, GPL Setup Manager will automatically start and display GEM+'s currently selected setup file.  If a GEM+ default setup file is selected, GPL Setup Manager will start, but will display its own default setup file.

ENGINE DISPLAYS:

For the first time, accurate engine torque and horsepower versus rpm curves are depicted.  These are NOT derived curves as GPLRE used, but rather are the actual curves that the gpl.exe (or its mods) uses.  The curves are in english units (pounds/feet and horsepower).

The torque and horsepower bands versus miles per hour (mph) chart depicts the range in mph over which the engine produces 90% of its maximum torque (blue) and horsepower (green) using the selected gear ratios.  The small red box is the maximum rpm speed.  As you adjust the gear ratios, the bands will change accordingly.  The vertical red line is the approximate maximum speed which the F1 cars can achieve on a level track.

The GPLRE help has an excellent discussion of how to effectively use this chart.

Differential Locking Percent:  As you adjust the differential ramp angles or number of clutches, the percent of possible locking is shown.  A completely locked axle will have a 100% lock while a free wheeling axle will be 0%.  Current setup limits restrict locking percentages between 1 to 30%.

UNINSTALL INSTRUCTIONS:

Simply delete the GPL Setup Manager directory.  No files other than those in this directory are stored on your computer nor is your registry file touched.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT:

This program is my gift to the GPL community and is a special thanks to those talented developers who, by adding new cars, tracks, and utilities, have made GPL the greatest racing simulation ever made!  I hope GPL Setup Manager serves as a small repayment for their many hours of work.

Special thanks go to Richard Cooke who, among other things, is the engine developer for the GPL mods and to Nigel Pattinson who developed most if not all of the important software patches to GPL.  In addition, thanks to Paul Thurston who has made GEM+ compatible with GPL Setup Manager.  Also, thanks to Gene Fryman for his suggestion to add metric setup files.  Finally, thanks to Bob Simpson and Mike Wilkerson for the maximum speed data. 

KNOWN BUGS:

What bugs?

VERSIONS:

1.1.8--2 Nov 2010--Adds Sports Car basic and advanced trainer support.
1.1.6--9 Nov 2009--Adjusts maximum speed lines.
1.1.5--23 Apr 2009--Fixes file save problems with new format setup files.
1.1.4--22 Apr 2009--Fixes file open problems with new format setup files.
1.1.3--21 March 2009--Makes multiple installation capability compatible with GEM+.
1.1.2--13 March 2009--Adds capability to handle multiple installation directories.
1.1.1--18 February 2009--Adjusts Sports Car Mod maximum speed line based on car and disables asymmetric setups.
1.1.0--15 February 2009--Adds Sports Car Mod support.  Adds icon...thanks to Paul Thurston.
1.0.3--7 January 2008--Fixes engine displacements for BRM equipped cars.
1.0.2--26 December 2007--Fixes bug where nonEnglish Windows programs weren't working.
1.0.1--25 December 2007--Fixes bug where gear ratios weren't properly saved.
1.0.0--25 December 2007--Initial release.