Friday, 30 August 2024

GP4: 2023 & 2024 mod V1.2 update

I've got some updates to the 2023 and 2024 mod for you. 

As promised from the initial releases, updates will come as often as content is released in the community, and/or bug fixes and updates are required. 

With Franco Colapinto's debut in the Williams this weekend, in place of the outgoing Logan Sargeant, it seems like a good time to share with you the updated mod with various fixes and updates listed below. 


F1 2023 - v1.2

The 2023 mod sees mostly fixes for some bugs discovered in the previous release. These include:

Team art fixes - Ricciardo and team logos and added Team 11 car.

Tyres - Assigned Alfa Romeo Las Vega rims to Abu Dhabi GP

As per the 2024 mod, this update includes new 2023 Ferrari engine sounds by jcgrj, which can be selected in the CSM menu. 

I've updated the credits file too. 

It's a only a small update, but it has been sat around or a while so I thought it's a good time to share it. 

Installation Notes

This update requires 2023 F1 mod previously released on this blog here: 
https://fongugp4.blogspot.com/2024/08/gp4-f1-2023-mod.html
  • Download the 2023 CSM mod update below

CSM update - 2023 Mod update 3 v1.2
(It's called update 3 as it replaces the previous update 3 from v1 and v1.1)

 

  • Open CSM
  • File | Install new carset template | select F1 2023F CMU23_update3_v1.2.cmu

Thursday, 29 August 2024

GP4: ICYMI August 2024

Wow, it's nearly the end of August already and it's time to catch up with updates to this blog and updates from the GP4 community. 

New Car Templates page

I've added a new section to my blog, car templates. To be honest, I was never one to collect templates, so you will have to help me out if you want this page to fill up. In recent years, Excalibur and the RSCT crew have been providing us with great generic F1 cars. Somebody asked me for a template for the 2021 Williams for a GP4 league and I've shared that here too. Raulongo also shared templates for the 2008 cars we did together. 

2001 Lola CART template by Öggo and Adry77

However, I'm quite excited to find some golden oldies by Öggo and Adry77 in the 1999 Reynard CART car and the 2001 Lola CART car. 

I've also found in my archives, templates for a still-born IRL project from 2006, with two templates for the Dallara and the Panoz, plus completed car and textures of the Penske. 

There's also the 2013 Dallara GP3/13, but I'm hard pressed to find anyone doing any liveries for it. 

And there's the Gen 3 Formula E car pack I released late last year. 

Click on the yellow banner below to explore the new Template page. 


GP2 (as in the old F2) content added

Thanks to thestig88 for sharing this pack (https://www.grandprixgames.org) and looking through my own archives, I've been able to add some GP2 content. There was a 2008 GP2 Asia series created by Damon and released as a non CSM set. In this release, it's been added to the 2008 GP2 mod by Lee, and so both mods are included together in this download. 

I've also added to this blog 2006 GP2 liveries, which I think are by Drex, but I'm not sure. 

And finally, I've added a 2010 GP2 non-CSM mod. Again, I'm not too sure where this is from, but its likely to have originated from the GP4 Spain forum, with Damon possibly involved again. If you have any information for me, let me know and I can update this blog. 

I hope you enjoy some of these mods from the archives. 


Recent releases

F1 1990 CSM Mod 


Kerley has been an excellent mod maker for years in GP4, and has recently dropped this excellent 1990 mod. He's really done an in depth and thorough work in this mod and it's well worth your time to check it out and try all the different variations that you can run. 


Kerley | Info   

Download part 1 


Download part 2 


Indycar 2023 CSM Mod updated 


rracunis has presented an update to his already fantastic 2023 Indycar mod. There's so much stuff in here, and it's great to have this fantastic single seater series as an F1 alternative in GP4. The mod has some interesting features to try out via the CSM menu options, to customise the mod to your liking. 


rracunis | Info  

Download part 1

Download part 2

Download part 3


2010 Helmet Set compiled by SkaningeN 


SkaningeN has compiled and completed another fantastic helmet set for the 2010 season. It's really been fantastic to now be able to run individual helmet shapes for each driver, and with such attention to detail of all the variations, this is a great update to add to your 2010 mod. 

 

SkaningeN | Helmet Set 


2010 Tyres & 2D Rims  


As always with SkaningeN, there's the 2D rim pack with team specific rims as seen in the 2010 season. 


SkaningeN | Tyres & Rims 


1994 Benetton Sound v2.0 


Some new sounds for the 1994 mod, with the Benetton Ford Cosworth getting an upgrade thanks to jcgrj. 

 

by jcgrj | info 

 

2023 Ferrari SF23 Sound 


Also released recently are the 2023 Ferrari engine sounds, designed to go with Gitanes' physics that feature in my 2023 mod. 

 

by jcgrj | info 

 

New Devon - Sun City 


A nice new fictional track by Viking75, blasting through the fictional streets of New Devon, Sun City. 


by Viking75 | Info 

 

1968 Hockenheim, Germany track updated


The Viking75 news trail continues with this update to 1968 Hockenheim, originally updated by drt01 and atticus. This track really does have a great vintage feel, as you blast down the straights in the Eifel forest before it was punctuated with chicanes and 'mickey-mouse' sections in later years. 

 

updated by Viking75. Original by drt01 and atticus | Info

 

Pocono Raceway, USA


We have a new oval, the Pocono Raceway by Viking75. It's a track used by NASCAR and formerly by Indy cars aas well. It's a flat tri-oval and gives a bit of variety if you like your oval racing.


by Viking75 | Info

 

1958 Ain Diab, Morocco track dat file

 

Thanks to Viking75 for this basic beta of the Ain Diab track, the venue for the 1958 Moroccan GP. We don't have many early F1 tracks in GP4, so this is most welcome and I really do hope it gets some nice scenery to match in the not too distant future.


by Viking75 | Info

 

Sunday, 25 August 2024

GP4: F1 2024 Mod update v1.1

Thank you for those who have been supporting this blog in various ways, I'm grateful to you. 

After the successful release of the 2023 and 2024 mods in recent weeks, I can bring you an update to the 2024 mod.  



Thanks to Excalibur and his recent release of the 2024 Williams FW46, we now have a complete 2024 grid. This also comes with the fix to the Haas that fixes the mirrored flag on the halo. 


This update also applies the pink Alpine livery (also by Excalibur) to the Dutch GP as seen at this weekend's event. 

And finally, but not least, I've included jcgrj's 2023 Ferrari SF23 engine sounds too. If you have the 2023 mod installed, it will give you the option to choose these sounds in that mod too (in the CSM menu). 

Installation Notes


This update requires 2024 F1 mod previously released on this blog here: 
https://fongugp4.blogspot.com/2024/08/gp4-f1-2024-mod-v10.html

  • Download the 2024 CSM mod update below

CSM update - 2024 Mod update 2

 

  • Open CSM
  • File | Install new carset template | select F1 2024 mod update 2.cuh
And finally, enjoy the mod! 

Wednesday, 21 August 2024

GP4: F1 2024 Mod v1.0

I'm pleased to share with you the F1 2024 season mod for Grand Prix 4. 

The mod is designed to be updated as new releases come out. As we now have 9 out of the 10 cars created and released, along with standard set of helmets and wheels, there's plenty to be enjoying in this mod. 

It can be a stand alone mod and everything should work fine. However, it's designed to sit inside the 2023 mod as there is a lot of shared content. You can find the 2023 mod and a lot of the background detail here: https://fongugp4.blogspot.com/2024/08/gp4-f1-2023-mod.html

Much of the individual content released can be found here: https://fongugp4.blogspot.com/p/gp4-2024-download-sources.html


As for many seasons now, we owe a huge gratitude to the RSCT boys, namely Excalibur and Isaint, who between them, have shared their work on the current season. Whilst we wait for the Williams to be created and released, my 2023 Williams currently fills the gap. I've designed the structure of this mod so that if alternative versions of cars are released, they can be easily dropped into the mod, and a selection added to the menu. You can see an example of that here, with two versions of the Red Bull RB20 in the mod. 
Thanks again to Excalibur for updating us with new rim textures. 

This season, I've diversified my content creation, which means that I cannot give the same dedication to the special helmets, however I did push myself to release the base season pack to be released before the season got under way. I actually created Ollie Bearman's helmet at the time when he stood in for an ill Carlos Sainz, and though I never released it, it is included in this mod. If I manage to do some special helmets this season, you will find them showcased here: https://fongugp4.blogspot.com/p/gp4-2024-helmets.html


Thanks also to 32bobo32 for his amazing 2024 pitcrew and engineers, including the Ferrari blue variants from the Miami GP. 

Thanks to Gitanes for continuing to work on physics and performance files. At the time of writing, included are track specific performances up to, and including, the British GP. As with the 2023 mod, this comes with magic data updates, but they will only work if selected in the CSM menu, and you have the tracks with the same dat files installed (tracks available seperately, see the bottom of this post).

I've quickly filled in some areas of the mod, generic internal visors, basic internal cockpit textures, team arts and temporary loading screens and weather conditions. 

A fuller list of thanks is in the 2023 mod page above, but my thanks again must go to: 

  • Carl_gpgames - thanks for the 2022 mod as a base, cockpits, pit monitors, steering wheels, pit props, collision file, GPxPatch graphics and background videos. 
  • prblanco - various patches
  • Mailson Teles - sounds
  • Petrus - GPH updater
  • Öggo - individual helmets tweak, Blender plugin, car collision editor and CAP converter
  • gplaps - DirectX 8 patch
  • crosire - DirectX 9 patch
  • gp4wonder / DOSOAL - Sound Hardware Acceleration
  • btone & Ruboy - Def Panel
  • Duffer - LCD font editor
  • Zaz for CSM, TSM, Slimtex... and the rest of Zaz Tools
  • Rene Smit for GPxPatch
  • Madman271 for GP4Tweaker
  • Lo2K for GP4 Builder


Installation Notes

If you don't have Grand Prix 4, I recommend downloading this installer compiled by Carl_gpgames, available at the top of this page.  https://fongugp4.blogspot.com/p/gp4-mods.html
Install GP4, then the GP4 patch, then GpxPatch and Zaz Tools. 
I recommend whitelisting the drive if you have an anti-virus, as well as the Zaz Tools folder after installation. Also right click on CSM.exe and run in administrator mode and compatibility mode: Windows XP SP2 or SP3. 

** If you already have the 2023 mod or a previous version of the 2024 mod, skip the first download. **

  • Download the base CSM mod:

CSM mod - base structure

 



This forms the foundational structure that will form the core of the mod for you to add the season you want on top of it. It will not work by itself, but will be the first installation you need to do in CSM. 
  • Open CSM
  • File | Install new carset template | select F1 2023F base mod.cuh
* note that this presents the 2023 carset in CSM, which will not work unless you download the mod as previously mentioned. If you are just interested in the 2024 mod, ignore this one on the CSM menu. 

  • Download the 2024 CSM mod (v1.5 updated November 2024)

CSM update - 2024 Mod update 1 

 

CSM update - 2024 Mod update 2 v1.3 

 

CSM update - 2024 Mod update 3 v1.4 

 

CSM update - 2024 Mod update 4 v1.5 

 

CSM update - 2024 Mod update 5 v1.5 

 

CSM update - 2024 Mod update 6 v1.5 

 


  • Open CSM
  • File | Install new carset template | select F1 2024 mod update 2.cuh
  • File | Install new carset template | select F1 2024 mod update 3.cuh
  • File | Install new carset template | select F1 2024 mod update 4.cuh
  • File | Install new carset template | select F1 2024 mod update 5.cuh
  • File | Install new carset template | select F1 2024 mod update 6.cuh

This mod does not currently include any tracks, you can find the latest tracks available for GP4 starting here: https://fongugp4.blogspot.com/p/gp4-track-downloads.html

v1.1 notes: 

Wednesday, 7 August 2024

GP4: 2023 F1 Mod v1.1 update

Hello GP4 fans. 

Thank you for the love and support of my recently released 2023 mod. I hope you've been enjoying it. 

I did say the mod is in a constant work-in-progress state and inevitably with a big mod, there are a few small fixes required. 

Here is what is included in this patch:

  • Magic Data not loading (there was a spelling error in the globalvars.ini)
  • McLaren rim texture not showing at the Hungarian GP (there was an error in the performance file)
  • Some cars not racing at the Saudi Arabian GP (fixed the error in numcars.ini)
  • Team art - standard resolution logos not working correctly (recompiled the team art files)
This patch is included in a repackaged update file. If you've downloaded this mod before, simply install this patch. 

If you've not downloaded this mod before, get it here: https://fongugp4.blogspot.com/2024/08/gp4-f1-2023-mod.html


The 2024 part of this mod is progressing well and is nearly ready to be released. Stay tuned.

Friday, 2 August 2024

GP4: F1 2023 Mod

A New Mod for GP4

I have an exciting new mod to share with you, the Formula 1 2023 season mod for CSM. 

It's taken a lot longer than usual for a current season mod to be released to the community, and I held off for a long time to concentrate on other projects. Based off the F1 2022 mod by Carl_gpgames, I've created a slightly simplified base mod and added the 2023 cars to it. 

The plan is that in the not too distant future, the 2024 mod will fit inside this same mod, and all things being well, so will all the 2025 content. That should see us through to the end of this generation of cars. 

Building a mod is a lot of work, and kudos to the many hours other great mod makers have spent on exploring all the many editable areas in GP4 and CSM. The stars of the mod, in my opinion, are the cars, along with their tyres and rims and helmets. With limited time, I wanted to concentrate my time in getting those things right, rather than spending lots of time on additional extras. If I wanted to release the perfect mod, it would never see the light of day because there is always something else to work on, or a new area in GP4 to mod. 

This mod is presented to you as a solid working foundation, upon which further updates and patches can be added to improve the overall quality. That's not to downplay the already excellent content already in this mod, we'll get there in a moment, but I plan on releasing fairly regular updates as content becomes available. 

I hope to invite the community to add to this work, through releasing their work in to the community, or submitting files to me and I can release updates at regular intervals. However, I will hold editorial rights, so I'll try and include as much community content as possible, but not everything can make it in and somethings I may have to say that's not going to be included. 

So that's the ethos behind this mod and my plans for the future, now let's see what's inside this one. 


The cars

We had a good number of cars released for the 2023 season, we were somewhat spoilt for choice. I could have included every car (like in my 2011 mod), but in the end, I went with cars that were the most easily changeable to add livery changes. I want to thank Fábio Rosa from the F1C community for his permission to use some compatible parts, meaning there are car liveries that are exclusive to this mod and not previously released. 

Here's a list of the cars included, along with new skins highlighted:

  • Alfa Romeo C43 by Excalibur with Las Vegas rims by 

    Fábio Rosa and fongu
  • Alpha Tauri AT04 by fongu, with Las Vegas livery adapted from Fábio Rosa
  • Alpine A523 by Excalibur, with additional liveries and rims by Fábio Rosa and fongu
  • Aston Martin AMR23 by fongu, with new early season livery added by fongu
  • Ferrari SF-23 by fongu, with Monaco & Spanish GP liveries added by fongu
  • Haas VF-23 by fongu & Excalibur, with additional liveries by Fábio Rosa and fongu
  • McLaren MCL60 by Excalibur, with Las Vegas livery by LittleOnion and fongu
  • Mercedes F1 W14 by Excalibur, with Bahrain livery by fongu & excalibur
  • Red Bull RB19 (hi res version) by Isaint, with additional liveries and rims by Fábio Rosa and fongu
  • Williams FW45 by fongu, with Las Vegas livery by Fábio Rosa and fongu

I spent a lot of time on the 2023 cars. Pretty much every race is different, whether its helmets, or tyre covers, or special liveries, or major sponsorship changes. Sure, not every little change is included, and one or two liveries are yet to be created, but you can enjoy spotting the changes from race to race. 



Helmets

All the helmets that I created, along with timtoffee, are included in this mod. There's a dedicated page on this site to all the helmets here: https://fongugp4.blogspot.com/p/gp4-2023-helmets.html
Thanks again to Jvinu for his helmet shapes and templates. 

Tyres & Rims

Thanks to Excalibur for creating the 3D Tyres and Rims pack for the season. There were a couple of track specific rim liveries that have been added to this mod by Fábio Rosa and myself. In the 2022 mod, Carl_gpgames and I had resized the tyre width and I did the same again for this mod. 

Special Thanks

Carl_gpgames - I wanted to thank Carl for creating 3 amazing seasons worth of mods and allowing me to carry over a lot of his dedicated hard work into this mod. His pit monitor, internal cockpit, internal and external steering wheels, pit props, collision file, GPxPatch graphics and background videos are all included in this latest mod. I've also included some nostalgic items from previous Geoff Crammond Grand Prix games, thanks to Carl for sharing these. 

32BOBO32 - I also want to thank Samuele for his incredible marshalls, race directors, pit crew and engineers. Sadly, the 2023 set is not completed (even though the 2024 one is), and so this mod is mostly made up of his 2022 and 2024 work. I've also included his high resolution menu items, his no-refueling animation work, menu fonts and the HUD that is in this mod. 

Gitanes - I've decided to go with Gitanes performance files, physics files and torque, rather than following the F1 2022 path. This is simply a time saving decision on my part, but Gitanes has been doing great work in this area of the game for many years.  

prblanco - whilst his work on tracks as part of the F1Virtual group is legendary, he's also done a lot of background work on some of the patches, as well as the performance calculator that Gitanes used. 

Mailson Teles - I have included his Aston Martin Sounds in this mod, as they are best suited to the physics that I have chosen to use. 

rracunis - I have included his internal visors, and McLaren external visors on my helmets. 

Augustogibim - Thanks for the inclusion of his loading screens, driver team arts and grid cars. 

Petrus - Thanks for the GPH Updater which enables high resolution menu items in game. 

Öggo - Thanks for the individual helmets tweak, as well as tools that have transformed how we make mods and content, with the Blender plugin, Car Collision editor and CAP converter. 

Also let's not forget these credits: 

  • gplaps - DirectX 8 patch
  • crosire - DirectX 9 patch
  • gp4wonder / DOSOAL - Sound Hardware Acceleration
  • btone & Ruboy - Def Panel
  • Duffer - LCD font editor
  • Zaz for CSM, TSM, Slimtex... and the rest of Zaz Tools
  • Rene Smit for GPxPatch
  • Madman271 for GP4Tweaker
  • Lo2K for GP4 Builder



Features

If you have played any of my other mods, 1994 v4.2 or IMSA vs WEC, or even the 2022 mod by Carl_gpgames, then you will see a lot of familiar elements in the CSM menu. In many ways, this is one of the more basic mods. 

I've stuck with the traditional load one track specification at a time, in part just to save myself some modding time and get this mod released. 

I've included the Magic Data files by Gitanes as the final option. It's dependent on you having the same tracks as Gitanes made the data set for. Feel free to turn this option off or on for the best results in your game. 

Installation Notes

I assume you already have a patched Grand Prix 4 installed, with GPxPatch and Zaz Tools. If not, have a look at this handy installer at the top of this page: https://fongugp4.blogspot.com/p/gp4-mods.html


1. Download the base CSM mod:

CSM mod - base structure

 

  

This forms the foundational structure that will form the core of the mod for you to add the season you want on top of it. It will not work by itself, but will be the first installation you need to do in CSM. 
  • Open CSM
  • File | Install new carset template | select F1 2023F base mod.cuh

2. Download the three 2023 CSM mod update files. 

CSM update - 2023 mod part 1

 

CSM update - 2023 mod part 2 

 

CSM update - 2023 mod part 3 
(v1.2 released 30th August 2024)

 

Install these the same way as you installed the CSM mod. 


This mod does not currently include any tracks, you can find the latest tracks available for GP4 starting here: https://fongugp4.blogspot.com/p/gp4-track-downloads.html