F1GP TE Project

Contents

TE Project help documents

On this page you'll find a short guide for newcomers - so if you're interested in getting involved in the project, have a quick read through and see what you'll need to do. Along with that, we've also got a FAQ which answers the most common questions that the project gets asked. If we've missed something (or you want to add some extra info to this section), go to the Contact page and drop us a line.

Beginner's guide

Although the Track Editing Project generates a lot of interest in the F1GP community, and plenty of developers are already involved, we're always on the lookout for any extra help. Don't panic, though - you don't need to be a C++ guru or have a degree in computer science to get involved. If you have any interest at all in the F1GP circuit files and want to try your hand at some track editing, follow this guide.

1. Download a hex editor
Undoubtedly the best first step. F1GP stores it's track data in binary files, which means you can't just open them up in Notepad and have a look around. You need a dedicated hexadecimal file editor, which enables you to change the circuit data easily and see what's going on. In most cases, hex editors are very straightforward to use and there's an abundance of such programs at popular shareware sites (check out Tucows and do a quick search).

2. Open the F1GP track data files
Once you have a hex editor up and running, it's time to take a look inside the circuit data files themselves. To locate them, look in the relevant F1GP directory on your hard drive (typically along the lines of C:\F1GP\). They're named F1CT**.DAT, where ** is replaced by a number from 01 to 16. As you might expect, these represent the 16 courses present in the game.

3. Start examining the file contents
Depending on your knowledge of the track data file internals, this is where things can start to get tough. If you've reached this stage, you'll have a screenful of numbers and letters - all in hexadecimal - which relate to the numbers used to define such things as track length and curve strength. Fortunately, though, our developers have already got to grips with much of this, so check out the File info pages to see the things you can start altering.

4. Working with the track data
Before you start some serious hacking, you have to get familiar with some of the terms used when editing the tracks. Firstly, every tiny piece of data in the file is stored in a byte, which holds a number. This might be the length of a particular track section, or similarly it could represent the distance between an object (e.g. building or tree) and the tarmac itself. The bytes hold a number between 0 and 255 (00 to FF in hexadecimal), and for more information have a search online or scan the relevant section of a computing book.

5. Making use of your work
It may take some time before you come up with any major development in the track data files, but if you spot something interesting then don't hesistate to contact us. One final matter: when you've edited a track file and restart your copy of F1GP, you may encounter errors. To solve this, take a trip to our Downloads page and grab the GPCHKSUM.EXE program which - when run on the modified file - sorts this out.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a track editor for F1GP?
Not as yet. Creating such a program is a major undertaking and requires a full and comprehensive understanding of the track file internals. However, we are familiar with many aspects of the data file structure, and are confident that an editor will appear sometime in the future.

When will your editor be ready?
When it's ready :-) Seriously, we don't know, and we will not make any guess whatsoever. All of the developers involved in this project are very busy with other matters, be it working, studying or pie-consuming (naming no names here Bob), and we cannot devote all our time to it. Naturally, should any proper editor emerge then you'll hear about it here first.

Why has it taken so long? The game's been out for years!
Indeed, the game has been on the shelves for around a decade now. As mentioned, though, there's nobody who can give all their time to this project and as we're not paid for doing this work, we have to accept that progress is slow. Another significant issue is that F1GP has seen two sequels since its release; consequently, many developers are more interested in creating track editors for these games. In the true GNU manner of things, don't complain - do it yourself! If you're tired of the delays in getting a full editor released, give us a hand.

Got any info about similar projects?
Right from the start, players around the world have expressed an interest in creating a track editor for F1GP. Oliver Roberts collected a sizeable amount of information on the Amiga version, and legend has it that someone managed to change Mexico into an oval, but we know of little else. Paul Hoad's GP2 track editor has been reported to tweak some aspects of the original game's circuits, but your mileage may vary and we're aiming on creating an F1GP-specific editor.

Can I help?
Of course! Start by reading the guide above, and then take a look at some of the modified circuits our developers have produced. Also, while this project's main goal is a track editor, we're all F1GP maniacs and appreciate any efforts to change the car shape and similar details as well.