F1GP/World Circuit FAQ
Dave Gymer
WHAT IS F1GP?
F1GP is MicroProse's first attempt at a car racing simulator and is
based around the high-speed world of Formula One races. You take the
place of a driver and compete at all 16 races in the 1991 series, with
results counting towards both the drivers and constructors
championships. The game features practice and qualifying at all events
and you are pitted against 33 other drivers. It is one of the few proper
racing simulators to use polygon based graphics, Indy 500, being the
only other major one at the time of its release.
More recently an IndyCar and a NASCAR game have been released by Papyrus
and they both feature more complex graphics and physical models,
although they do not seem to be as much fun to play. Also, they require
some serious processing power to run well.
There is a demonstration available,
ftp://ftp.microprose.com/pub/mps-online/demos/wcdemo.zip, which features
the Monaco circuit and has only keyboard (not joystick) support.
System requirements
According to MicroProse the PC version of the game runs on a 286 or
higher with at least 1mb of RAM. Of this you require about 600k base
memory (less for the basic game; more if you use some of Trevor
Kellaway's nice TSRs which are available). The game should be installed
on hard disc, and it takes up 6mb with all animations, 3.2mb without
intro animations, and 2mb without any animations. This can be cut down
further if you delete a few of the .DAT files! [GB: I have managed to
get the game onto a single 360k disk, although with only one course.]
The only other requirement for the game is a VGA/MCGA graphics card.
Mouse and joystick are both optional.
The Atari ST version comes on 4 double density disks, and the first can
be skipped on start up.
The Amiga version comes on 4 DD disks, the first of which can be
skipped. It can also be installed to hard drive. There is also a version
which comes on 3 DD disks, with some of the intro sequence removed.
SUPPORT SOFTWARE
Like most modern games there have been many support products released,
mostly as shareware or public domain software. It appears that noadd-on
utilities are available for the ST version; one driver reports that the
ST version completely bypasses the operating system and uses a non-DOS
filing system, which explains why it's been so hard to "crack", but does
not feature any sort of checksums or compression, which may ultimately
make the job easier.
DG: In addition to the FTP links given below, these can also be gotten
from http://www.mal.com/~dgymer/f1gputil/. This is a temporary location
until I sort out some alternative accommodation with MicroProse.
The PC updates, 1.04 and 1.05
These two update disks were supplied by MicroProse, both being sent out
by the company. They were supposed to add the facility for modem play,
plus a few other features. 1.05 is the most recent update, and both are
compressed to 1mb and 1.05 is available via most FTP sites. Recently
MicroProse have themselves gotten on the Internet so you can download
the patches from:
European version:
ftp://ftp.microprose.com/pub/mps-online/new-versions/f1gpe.zip
Italian version:
ftp://ftp.microprose.com/pub/mps-online/new-versions/f1gpit.zip
World Ciruit (US version):
ftp://ftp.microprose.com/pub/mps-online/new-versions/f1gpus.zip
This site can quite busy, however, so if you're looking for the European
or Italian patches, try FSP on port 21 to ftp.inf.tu-desden.de in
directory /pub/ms-dos/games/patches/, and look for
f105ptci.zip(European) and f1gpit.zip (Italian). This site is also
available via FTP and is mirrored at ftp://ftp.cdrom.com/pub/dresden/.
1.05 also adds much better SoundBlaster support, proper support for
wheel units like the Thrustmaster T1 and the AutoRacing Cockpit
(including both pedal setup and wheel sensitivity when steering help is
off), decreases the amount of grip somewhat (the game oversteers more
easily in 1.05 than 1.03 and earlier), and allows you to load a saved
game without affecting your control selection.
Note that the 1.04 patch is applied by reinstalling the game using the
1.04 disk to replace the old disk 1. The 1.05 patch works by being
installed on top of an existing game.
There is also a difference in grip levels between version 1.03 and 1.05
(1.04 appears to be the same as 1.05). Christopher Jordan explains:
The test that I did last night gave me an idea. If you don't make a
rule all times in the top 10 must be done on V1.05, I'll only use
V1.03 from now on. Why? Well the times I did last on V1.03 in Brazil
were 6 tenths faster than the ones I could do on V1.05 last night.
V1.03: 1:11.469, V1.05: 1:12.011, (personal best) 1:11.839. Both
times were done with same setup.
So I went to Mexico and found why V1.03 is faster than 1.05. Too cut
a long story short I could use the wing set-up 61/30 and still get
around the Peralta without any sign of oversteer. When I tryed this
wing set-up on V1.05 I ended up in the pit wall! I could only do a
1:12.053 though, however this was in limited track time (homework
had to be done!).
I then went to Portugal and, same story through turns one and two.
V1.03, wings 64/34 and car was stable, V1.05, wings 64/34 and
massive amounts of oversteer, undrivable! On the second lap on V1.03
I did a 1m09.488! I then had to do my homework!
Therefore it would seem that the car is more ballanced on V1.03 thus
allowing more radical and faster set-ups while still allowing the
car to be drivable around the faster corners.
PC editors
There are two main editors are available. The first,
ftp://didnt.doit.wisc.edu/PublicFiles/Racing/F1GP/Editors/gpeditv4.zip,
is a MicroSoft Windows-based editor which allows car and helmet colors,
AI grip, AI & human horsepower, computer driver ability, and name files
to be edited; it's very easy to use and has a very professional front
end. The second,
ftp://didnt.doit.wisc.edu/PublicFiles/Racing/F1GP/Editors/f1ed21.zip, is
a DOS-based editor which does most of the same. In addition, there is
now also an editor available,
ftp://didnt.doit.wisc.edu/PublicFiles/Racing/F1GP/Editors/helmedit.zip,
which allows you to edit the helmets seen in the Driver/Team Selection
screen.
There is also a patch, QTyres (available as part of WCLaunch; see
below), which allows unlimited set of qualifying tyres, both during
qualification and practice.
Please note that this site is actually Peter Burke's Macintosh. Please
try to avoid using it too heavily during his work hours (he's in
Wisconsin). Additionally, if you're trying to access this site through a
WWW browser and having no luck, try using a normal FTP client. Some
browsers, most notably NetScape 1.1 betas, seem to have trouble with the
site, probably because they're badly implemented; the site is not at
fault.
PC add-ons
There are lots more utilities; most of them are wrapped up in the
WcLaunch package,
ftp://didnt.doit.wisc.edu/PublicFiles/Racing/F1GP/Editors/wcfged50.zip,
which is also a launcher program. Many of the utilities require version
1.05 of the game. GpLap is a split timer, lap-time logger and
authentication utility, and the latest version (5.0,
ftp://didnt.doit.wisc.edu/PublicFiles/Racing/F1GP/Editors/gplap.zip,
which needs to be run through PkZipFix first) also fixes the BHP
degredation problem mentioned elsewhere. GpPerf is a performance data
recorder, very useful in conjunction with a graph plotting program. Note
that GPPerf will not function correctly unless the game's occupancy is
kept under 100% at all times, and you have a sufficiently high frame
rate (19 frames per second at 200 mph, for example), otherwise, the log
produced will miss bits of the track out.
GPPerf is also part of the anaylsis pack,
ftp://didnt.doit.wisc.edu/PublicFiles/Racing/F1GP/Editors/anylpak.zip,
which also features a very nice analyzer. You have to unzip the full
analyzer first, and then unzip an update into the same directory (this
isn't at all clear in the documentation).
These programs all add a huge amount to the original, especially the lap
analyzers. Used in conjunction with the Hall of Fame they add new life
to the game as you can easily see how different setups alter the car and
affect lap times. You can also look at
http://www.mal.com/~dgymer/f1gp-prf/, the GPPerf Datalog Archive.
PC cracks and password removers
The best crack is one which details changes for all PC versions of the
game and makes the manual word requesting routine always ask for
"monza", available from
ftp://ftp.uwp.edu/pub/msdos/romulus/cracks/f1gp_all.txt. Soapbox: I'm
not going to insult anyone by whining on about piracy, but I will
reiterate that the game has been rereleased on Digital Integration's
PowerPlus budget label (a mere 15 quid or less in the UK) so there's
really no excuse for not rushing out and buying it if you haven't
already. End soapbox.
Amiga editors
There are a couple of editors for the Amiga and a patch program. Check
them out at http://cswww2.essex.ac.uk/users/robeoy/af1.html or via FTP
from most AmiNet sites.
WHERE CAN I COMPETE AGAINST OTHER PEOPLE?
There are a number of championships:
Amiga Championship: es...@csv.warwick.ac.uk (James Smith) or
http://cswww2.essex.ac.uk/users/robeoy/af1.html
Little Formula Racing Series for the PC: DE3...@aol.com (Steve Wilson)
or http://www.mal.com/~dgymer/lfrs/.
A championship for version 2 of the game is already being planned. There
are also two Halls Of Fame:
Amiga Hall of Fame: 130...@pc-lab.fbk.eur.nl (Edo Nijmeijer) or
http://cswww2.essex.ac.uk/users/robeoy/hof.html.
PC Hall Of Fame: dgy...@gdcarc.co.uk (Dave Gymer) or
http://www.mal.com/~dgymer/wcpchof/wcpchof.html.
Dave Gymer
Note that not all of these tracks are present in the current FIA
calendar, and most of the ones that are have been changed somewhat.
Still, after getting familiar with the ones that are still raced at, you
should feel quite at home riding with Michael Schumacher or Damon Hill
via their in-car cameras.
This section is biased towards the PC version. The track descriptions
are mostly valid for the Amiga and ST too, but the replays won't work
and there are minor differences in the track layouts.
1. PHOENIX GRAND PRIX CIRCUIT, PHOENIX, ARIZONA, USA
Moving down Jefferson Street, you brake for a right-hander into Madison
Street, then for a left-hander onto Jackson Street. Then comes another
left-hander, a right-hander, and a short straight down to the hairpin.
Then there's a right hander leading to a very fast right-left
combination, exiting onto the back straight, Washington Street, followed
by a right-left combination onto Adam(s?) Street. Then comes another
left-right, then a long, accelerating left-hander leading back onto
Jefferson.
2. AUTODROMO JOS CARLOS PACE, INTERLAGOS, BRAZIL
Moving across the start/finish line, you brake into the left/right
Descida do Sol (now renamed the Senna S). This is a great place to try
an outbraking maneuver, but care should be taken not to tangle with
anyone leaving the pits, before entering the long left-hander Curva do
Solthat leads onto the Rete Oposta, a very long straight where there's
plenty of scope for slipstreaming. At the end of the Rete Oposta, you
brake for the Subida da Lago left-hander. You can try outbraking an
opponent into here but often they will simply drive into you. This
corner is followed by another left-hander taken at full speed, followed
by a short straight where you might be able to draft a car, before Ferra
Dura, a totally evil fast extended right-hander. This is followed by
Laranji, a slow right hander which is made tricky both by the AI cars,
who brake ridiculously early for it, and by the fact that there are no
brake markers, which will typically result in the inexperienced driver
under-braking and ending up mowing the grass. Immediately after comes
Pinheirinho, a slow left-hander where you may just be able to slip past
an opponenet, especially on the exit where you may be able to blast
through on the left before they move over for Bico de Pato, a right-hand
hairpin where late-brakers are again liable to end up on the grass. Then
comes Mergulho, a left-hander which with a light fuel load (or a
high-downforce setup) can be taken flat out. After a short straight you
come to Jun ao, a left-hander which exits onto Subida dos Boxes, the
segmented curves which form the start/finish straight.
3. AUTODROMO ENZO AND DINO FERRARI, IMOLA, ITALY (SAN MARINO)
After crossing the line you sweep left into Tamburello, a full-speed
left-hander. Then comes Rettifiolo, a right hand flick, and Tosa, a slow
left-hander. A right-hand flick leads into Piratella, a fast left,
followed by another left leading downhill to Acque Minerale, a
left-right-left combination. Moving back up the hill you flick left,
then pass through the fast right-left Variante Alfa chicane. Then comes
a full-speed right hander, another left-hander, before going back
downhill into Rivazza, a pair of medium-slow left-handers. Then comes a
short straight before Variante Bassa, a fast right-left chicane,
followed by Traguardo, a slow left-right chicane leading back onto the
start/finish straight.
4. CIRCUIT DE MONACO, MONTE CARLO, MONACO
The first corner is Ste Devote, a medium speed right-hander, followed by
a "straight", Montee de Baue Rivage, which winds left-right uphill, past
Roses Bar and into the Massenet left-hander, followed immediately by
Casino, a slower right-hander. Then comes a short straight leading down
to Mirabeau, a right-hander, followed Loews, the very slow left-hand
hairpin. Then comes a right-hander followed by another, Portier, which
exits into the tunnel, a long sweeping right hander. After that comes
Nouvelle Chicane, a left-right followed by a faster right-left, exiting
onto a short straight before reaching Tabac, a fast left-hander which
tightens suddenly into the swimming pool complex, where you weave right,
left, left, right, before sweeping left into the Rascasse double
right-hander. A tiny straight leads to Antony Noghes, a right hander
which exits onto the right-hand sweeping start-finish straight.
5. CIRCUIT GILLES VILLENEUVE, MONTREAL, CANADA
Accelerating across the start line, you sweep left round T1 at full
speed (unleess you see computer cars trying to draft each other),
braking just for the Island Hairpin, a tight right-hander which is a
good place for outbraking. A short straight follows where you might be
able to pass, then you flick through T3 and T4, which form the first
chicane, a very fast right-left comination, followed shortly by T5, a
right hand flick. Brake into T6, slowish left-hander, followed
immediately by T7, a faster right hander. It is possible to outbrake
someone into T6, but a better plan is to wait until the straight that
follows T7 and slipstream past them, or outbrake them into T8, a
right-hander which, with the left-hander T9, forms the second chicane;
watch out for the computer cars trying to outbrake each other here, as
one of them usually ends up on the grass. The next straight has a
left-hand flick, after which you can get a tow and outbrake opponents
into the Pits Hairpin, a slow right-hander. If you're still stuck behind
someone, now is a good time to try to out-drag them because the track
narrows and sweeps at full speed through the rapid right-left-right
combination of T11, Casino Bend, and T12, before coming up on the pit
entrance. Finally you fly through the tricky final chicance, T14/T15;
watch out for computer cars trying to slipstream each other here, as it
invariably ends up with one spinning.
6. AUTODROMO HERMANOS RODRIGEUZ, MEXICO CITY, MEXICO
You fly down the very long main straight before coming into a medium
speed left-right-left combination where with skill you can outbrake
other cars. If you are still behind someone upon exiting, you can get a
tow and pass them on the subsequent short straight, and perhaps try
another outbraking move as you enter the nasty fast right, slow left
combination waiting at the end. Then there's another short straight
followed by a slow right-hander, which leads into the Esses, a series of
increasingly fast turns going left, right, left, right, left, right,
left before exiting onto the back straight, to move past the
pit-entrance and into Peralta, a terrifyingly fast right-hander which
leads back onto the main straight.
7. CIRCUIT DE NEVERS, MAGNY COURS, FRANCE
Moving across the start/finish straight, you sweep left at high speed
round Grand Courbe, where it's not advisable to try and get alongside an
AI car as they're likely to move over into you. Then comes Estoril, a
right-hander which leads onto the main straight, Golf, which is divided
by two slight right-hand kinks where you do not want to be alongside an
AI car. At the end of Golf you come to Adelaide, a very sharp right-hand
hairpin where it's easy to outbrake a whole load of AI cars at once. A
brief burst of acceleration must be curtailed whilst you pick your way
through a right-left-right combination called Esse. A short straight
leads to N rburing, a right-left chicane taken at full speed, followed
by the unimaginatively titled 180 Degrees, a left-hand hairpin. Next is
another straight where it's possible to do some more slipstreaming, but
be careful to get back over to the left of the track before Imola, a
high speed right-left chicane followed by Ch teau d'Eau, a moderately
slow right-hander where you may be able to outbrake one or two cars
before exiting onto a short straight which leads to Chicane, a
right-left chicane just before Lyc e, the very sharp right-hander which
leads onto the start/finish straight.
8. SILVERSTONE, NORTHAMPTONSHIRE, GREAT BRITAIN
Crossing the starting line you approach the famous Copse, an extremely
fast right right-hand bend followed by a short straight. Weave through
the Maggots/Becketts right-left-right combination. The Becketts
right-hander is followed by Chapel, which leads to the long Hangar
straight. Coming next, sitting atop a rise, is Stowe Corner, a double
apex right-hander followed by the Vale complex (a short straight and a
fast left-hander and slow right-hander), then by Club corner, a fast
left-hander, onto Abbey straight, followed by a left kink onto Farm
Straight and a very fast right called Bridge. Then there's a slow
left-hander, Priory, followed by another, Brooklands, then an anonymous
right hander, and Luffield, a second right-hander leading onto Woodcote,
a flat-out right hander which forms the grid and leads back onto the
start/finish straight.
9. HOCKENHEIMRING, HEIDELBERG, GERMANY
The start line is followed by a flat-out right-hand flick onto a long
straight leading to Schikane 1, a slow right-left chicane followed by a
sweeping right hander leading round to the second chicane, a medium-fast
left-right followed by the Ost Kurke, a fast sweeping right-hander. Then
another straight leads to Schikane 2, a very fast left-right chicane and
a left-hand flick at the exit. Another straight leads down to the
Agipkurve, a fast right-hander, followed by Sachskurve, a slow
left-hander. Then you wind through the Stadium complex, right, right,
and right through the Opelkurve and back over the start line.
10. HUNGARORING, BUDAPEST, HUNGARY
[To be rewritten.]
The only Eastern European takes place here at this slow and narrow
circuit. Passing is very difficult, even with late braking due to the
narrowness of the racing line. Once off this line it can be hard to keep
up are racing speed without going off. Despite all this, a fast lap is
very rewarding and achieving a good set-up is also a nice bonus. Any
passing opportunity should be taken but getting trapped behind a long
snake of cars can be very frustrating, especially if you reach them just
after the main straight. Due to the profusion of corners, the cars are
set up with plenty of downforce.
11. CIRCUIT DE SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, FRANCORCHAMPS, BELGIUM
[To be rewritten.]
The real drivers favorite, this is a long street course with an
excellent lay out, this is the course that features the best corner in
the world, Eau Rouge. Eau Rouge is an amazing left, right, left sequence
which can be taken almost flat out, but will bite you back if anything
goes wrong. The race begins with a short straight followed by a very
tight hairpin where there is almost always a crash on the first lap, the
track is then made up of long straight connected by twisty sections that
test a drivers ability. The lap finished with the Bus Stop chicane which
the computer cars take in 3rd but with the right line, you should be
able to take in 5th.
12. AUTODROMO NAZIONALE DI MONZA, MILAN, ITALY
[To be rewritten.]
The home of the Italian Grand Prix, and the Tifosi. Always a large
Ferrari following here, though any Italian driver will get a huge boost
here. This track held the fastest Grand Prix ever, but now the huge
straights have been broken up with chicanes. The track is still quick,
however, so the cars don't carry all that much downforce. Most
overtaking will be done through slip streaming and during slowing down
for the chicanes. It is possible to go quite quickly through the first
chicane if your line is right, but this can be tricky and will certainly
cause a spin if done wrong.
13. AUTODROMO DE ESTORIL, PORTUGAL
Coming off the start-finish straight you sweep right round T1 and then
T2 before braking for the slower right T3. Then comes T4, a left-hand
hairpin, followed by a straight broken up by T5, a right-hand kink. This
is followed by T6, a left-hand 180, then by T7, a right-hander, and T8,
a faster right. Then comes T9, a fast right, and T10, a slow left
leading into T11, a long and very fast right-hander leading back onto
the start-finish straight.
14. CIRCUIT DE CATALUNYA, BARCELONA, SPAIN
[To be rewritten.]
Strangely similar to Estoril, this circuit follows the same basic
design, except the back section is very twisty, so quite a bit of
downforce is required on the cars. The flat out corner is moved from the
end of the straight to the start, and this resembles Mexico in some way,
although the corner does not have the same length as Peralta.
15. SUZUKA, SHIROKO, JAPAN
[To be rewritten.]
The season ends with a long haul out to the East for the Japanese and
Australian Grand Prix. Suzuka circuit is the only figure of 8 in the
season, and the track was designed to fit into as small a space as
possible so the track is incredibly twisty with many corners and turns.
The track also features the Casio Chicane, which is infamous for
deciding championships, in past years two championships have been
decided here, and there is always a controversial accident here every
year. A good set up can be hard to achieve, since all the corners look
as if they can be taken flat out, and it isn't until you spin off that
you realize that they cant! Any overtaking chances should be taken as
there are not that many places to overtake, even with out breaking.
16. ADELAIDE GRAND PRIX CIRCUIT, ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA
From the start line you fly through the frightening left-right chicane
and flick left through the following corner onto Wakefield Road, before
braking for the right hander into Flinders Street, which is ended by a
left-hander, then a right-hander onto East Terrace before a fast
left-right chicane terminated abruptly by a slow right-hander leading
onto the short Jones Straight. A right-hand flick leads to Brabham
Straight, a very long straight run leading down to a very slow right
hander, followed by a left, left combination, Wakefield Road, then a
fast left, fast right, before the right-hand hairpin which leads onto
the start-finish straight.
Dave Gymer
WHAT MACHINES IS IT AVAILABLE FOR?
The game was first released on the Amiga and ST with the PC version
following around a year later. The Amiga and ST versions can both be run
of disk and do not need hard drive installation.
GB: As far as I know there are two version of the game for the PC, F1GP
on floppies, which is supplied on 4 high density disks with optional
upgrade disks, and F1GP on CD, which is EXACTLY the same game but on a
silver disk. Do not buy this unless you don't have a floppy drive, since
it costs more and has no extra features. Quite what MicroProse is
playing at is unknown, but the CD version represents bad value for your
money.
The game is now reissued by Digital Integration on the PowerPlus budget
label.
DG: Having played both the Amiga and PC versions, I noticed some
important differences. First, some of the tracks are physically
different, Monaco and Imola at least. Second, perhaps because of the low
frame rate or different control routines, the car is much, much harder
to set up on the Amiga than the PC; it's very hard to feel whether the
car has any under- or oversteer. It's also much harder to time the
turn-in points properly, as Ivanhoe's explanation of frame rates above
predicts.
WHAT SORT OF PERFORMANCE CAN I EXPECT ON MY PC?
Here is a rough table of machine against performance:
Machine Memory Detail Process Speed
-----------------------------------
P90 8mb 4d T 35% 25fps (DG's tower of power w/ PCI K64)
486dx266 8mb 4d T 70% 25fps
486dx266 4mb 4d T 60% 25fps
486dx266 32mb 4d T 53% 25fps (Pete F's Dan4Win w/ Spea V7 VLB)
486dx266 16mb 4d NT 35% 25fps (Nigel Bovey's)
486dx266 ? 4d T 70% 25fps (MBP's under OS/2)
486dx33 ? 4d T 90% 25fps (Graham A's)
486sx33 4mb 4d NT 66% 25fps
486dx250 24mb 4d NT 95% 25fps (Paul Smyth's w/ ISA ET4000-W32)
486sx25 4mb 4d NT 100% 25fps (a DELL)
486sx25 ? 4d NT 80% 25fps (Nightshade's oldie)
486sx25 4mb 4d NT 100% 23fps (Ben Lester's)
486sx25 2mb 4d NT 100% 21fps
386dx40 4mb 4d NT 100% 20fps
386dx40 2mb 4d NT 100% 20fps (possibly optimistic)
486dx250 24mb 4d NT 100% 18fps (Paul Smyth's w/ ISA S3-924)
386dx33 8mb 4d NT 100% 17fps (DG's old faithful w/ T8900CL)
386sx20 2mb 1d NT 100% 15fps (Max Behara's)
386sx25 2mb 4d NT 100% 14fps (Stingray's)
386sx20 2mb 4d NT 100% 8fps (Max Behara's)
It appears that as long as you have at least 2mb of RAM, the actual
amount makes absolutely no difference. The difference between the two
DX2/66s above is attributable to graphics card alone; see the difference
between Paul Smyth's machine with two difference graphics cards
installed. DG: IMHO if you have a 486SX/25 or better with a VLB or PCI
graphics card you should be able to crank the frame rate right up
without texture; a 486DX2/50 or better will add texture without any
penalty.
The details level is shown by the amount of detail around the track, 1d
being the lowest level and 4d the highest, the other detail option is
the track shading, this is shown by T (track shading on), NT (no track
shading). The process column show the average processor occupancy as you
go around any track. This is just a rough estimate, but really shouldn't
go above 100% very much. The final column show the speed in frames per
pecond that this set-up allows.
Even on similar machines, several things will affect speed. A machine
with some external cache will outperform one without; the actual amount
of cache is probably not going to make much difference. Graphics card
performance also makes a big difference; a local bus card will run much
faster that an ISA card, and some cards have better DOS performance than
others (Cirrus Logic based cards are good, ET4000 and derivatives are
even better).
The general consensus seem to be that people would rather have it
running smoother, but with less detail, this shows one of the main
advantages of F1GP over IndyCar, in that it runs quickly on a slow
machine and smooth graphics are possible quite easily.
The Amiga version runs at a similar speed regardless of the machine's
capacity, about 3-5 fps, depending on circuit, even in the fastest 68060
system.
Does the performance vary on an ST? Mail me if it does.
So how does this affect lap times?
Short answer: it doesn't.
Long answer: it doesn't... directly. DG is in the fortunate position of
having both a P90 and a 386DX/33 on his desk (well, okay, the 386 is
under the desk...), and loaded identical copies of the game up on both
machines. The first and most obvious difference was that the game does
not do a good job of matching "real time" (measured on a stopwatch
during laps on qualifying tyres at Monaco). The first tests were done on
the 386. With 100% to 130% occupancy, the game's timer runs slow, being
about three seconds behind reality. With all the detail turned off and
the occupancy down to about 70% to 110%, it was about three seconds
ahead of reality. With the frame rate reduced and occupancy between 45%
and 75%, it was about 4 seconds behind. Then testing moved to the P90.
With maximum detail and about 33% to 44% occupancy, the timer was about
4 seconds fast.
Now, here's the crunch. Despite these differences, the lap times
reported by the game were very close, all in the 1:14.4 range. The game
was noticeably easier to play at higher frame rates and lower
occupancies. However, with very high occupancies (more than 200%, such
as on the 386 with texture turned on), the difference from real time
becomes very noticeable; the whole game runs in slow motion, and is
potentially easier to play as you get much longer to react. Ivanhoe
Vasiljevich came up with the superb (and very lightly edited)
explanation below.
[...] a high frame rate [as opposed to occupancy] may have its
advantages (my opinion, not proven!):
Using a frame rate of 25 fps means that you have 25 possibilities to
perform an action (eg. braking, accelerating) every second, whereas
driving with 16 fps only allows you 16 `slots' per second, to brake,
for example.
Assuming that a typical braking maneuver begins at 300 km/h (188
mph), this equals a speed of 83 m/s, so that at 25 fps you can take
action (brake) every 3.3 m as opposed to every 5.2 m when using 16
fps. (Using an even lower frame rate naturally worsens the
situation. At 8 fps the distance between two points of action is
10.3 m!) During a normal lap including many braking maneuvers, this
may affect the overall performance, not to mention techniques like
pulsing the throttle.
In my opinion it would be best to turn off as much detail as
necessary and increase the frame rate as high as possible. (It may
not look as cool, but honestly, who has got the time to enjoy the
beautiful panorama when chasing a new lap record?)
WHY DOES THE INSTALLATION FAIL ON THE PC?
When installing the game unpacks some large files. On a fragmented hard
disk there might not be a large enough free block for them and the
Installation will crash with a very unhelpful message. Just run a
defragmenter on the hard drive, such as Norton Speed Disk or the one
supplied with MS-DOS 6, the game should then install no problem.
Another potential problem pointed out to me is that the game copies all
the Data files onto hard disk before decompressing them, and this
effectively doubles the amount of space it uses at installation time, so
make sure you have plenty of free hard disk space, as this will cure
both this problem and the one above.
WHY DOES THE FADE BETWEEN SCREENS TAKE SO LONG?
We don't know, but it's awful isn't it? DG: On the Amiga I believe there
is a patch to help cure this; on the PC I run from a Windows DOS box
with the Exclusive option selected, which for some reason speeds it up.
I think it must have something to do with timer emulation because under
Windows NT I have Hardware Timer Emulation turned on and it fades slowly
again. Version 1.03 and earlier on the PC seem to use a different fading
technique to later versions (bitmapped rather than palette) which is
faster on faster machines. The Technical FAQ has some C source to remove
the fading on the PC.
WHY DOES THE GAME SOMETIMES SLOW DOWN?
The graphics for generating the pit-lane are quit complex and so your
occupancy will always rise when in the pits, though this isn't usually
too much of a problem. The only other place where the game seems to slow
is the back straight at Phoenix and the second straight at Hockenheim.
The slow down at Phoenix is probably due to the large buildings it has
to draw, the one at Hockenheim because of the number of trees. Turn down
the detail if you notice a slowdown and don't like it.
WHO DOESN'T IT SAVE MY LAP RECORDS & SETUPS?
Qualifying records are only saved after a complete event; if you aren't
interested in the race, you must still go to it, then immediately press
escape and accelerate time. After a quick race, you must wait wait until
it says "race over" and goes to the post-race menu. In both cases you
will be able to select the "lap records" option and should see
"(Record)" in yellow under any new records. Race records set in races
shorter than 100% distance will not count. To actually save them for
posterity, you must exit to the main menu, go to "load/save game", and
select "save track records". On the Amiga, you must load them by hand
every time you start the game; on the PC, there is an option called
"startup files" which allows you to load names, setups, and records when
the game loads. Sadly, it will not save them automatically; you should
make sure you save any the records and setups if you have changed them
before you exit the game.
WHAT IS THE BEST CONTROLLER METHOD?
On the Amiga, keyboard or digital joystick seems best.
On the PC, keyboard seems to be preferred by many of the top drivers,
with analog joystick coming a close second. DG: The professional wheel
systems (such as the T1 or ACP) don't seem to work wonderfully. I've had
a few success stories but many people go back to the keyboard!
Javier Vizcaino provided the following information about using radio
control units with the game.
It is [...] possible to change a transmitter used in radio control
(R/C) to turn it into a PC joystick, and play F1GP. I've modified a
few, and let me tell you that there is nothing similar to drive with
these devices.
He also provides some information about PC game ports which help a few
folks out. Note that if you're going to play games on a PC with a
joystick, you really should invest in either a decent soundcard with
credible joystick ports [DG: my Gravis UltraSound is pretty good, and my
SoundBlaster 16 also seems reliable a drift-free] or a dedicated game
card.
About the game port, this is what happens. Game ports on the PC can
be full (the initial good ones with a 558, still found on SB cards
at least, four pots and four buttons), or half (cheaper chinese
solution, two pots and two buttons, simple joysticks). F1GP goes
well on a half port. The problem is that there are a lot of multi
I/O boards with Winbond chips including a half game port which
presents the missing buttons pressed. When F1GP starts calibrating
the joystick, it stops till seeing the four buttons released (it
can't know if your game port is full or half); with the above board,
calibration doesn't start, and you have to abort it with the ESC
key. So if calibrating the joystick the game seems to freeze till
you press ESC, may be you have this problem. Check with DEBUG: i201;
if you see bits 7-6 at 0, the game port presents the third and
fourth buttons pressed.
WHAT IS THE SOUND LIKE ON A SOUNDBLASTER ETC?
Not all that much better unfortunately if anything the PC speaker is
more irritating and thus more realistic! The Amiga sound is reported to
be quite good with a good use of stereo, and the ST is as bad as the PC!
The SoundBlaster support was improved considerably in versions later
than 1.01, but is still quite poor.
DG: The Amiga sounds good even through a TV. The PC with 1.05 and a
SoundBlaster is okay if you turn it up real loud, but not a patch on the
Amiga. A PC with MT-32 or other MIDI is pathetic, but the music is
better. *sigh* I don't know about the ST, but I'd guess it's better than
a PC speaker and nowhere near as good as the Amiga.
HOW DO I MAKE THE (PC) GAME MORE CHALLENGING?
Aside from using the editor to speed up the opposition, the easiest ways
to make the game more difficult are to turn of Traction and Steering
Help, both of these options are listed off the Games Control menu, in
the Accelerating and Steering menus respectively. With these off the
game becomes a good deal harder, but it still leaves a lot to be
desired.
Several top Hall Of Fame drivers, both on the PC and Amiga, report that
driving with Traction Help off, whilst harder, also improves lap times
at many circuits.
I AM BORED WITH THE GAME, WHAT NOW?
Well it has to happen eventually, so what now? You could join one of the
championships on the Net and learn to really hate the game or try either
of these two very sad games...
Dodgems
The basic idea behind this one is to make your car indestructible and
then wipe out the opposition as fast as possible. Top tip, go backwards
quickly. This is fun for about 30 minutes whilst you do each of the
tracks and marvel at the difference of the courses when viewed from the
other direction.
Jumping
A particularly rubbish game this, but set your cars up for no down-force
and then drive over the rumble strip and become air borne and see how
far you can get. Remember to save the games as you land so you can show
off to your friends and family...
DG: I've been sent a superb replay of someone calling himself
BeetleHarry jumping right over a car at the first chicane at Hockenhiem.
I'll put it up for FTP soon. If you have any more good crashes or
stunts, send them in!
IS THERE A DIFFERENCE IN CAR PERFORMANCE?
With the performance set to Random or 1991 Levels the cars do vary in
speed, except for the car you are driving. For this reason there is no
point in choosing car No 1, just because it should be 10% faster like
real life since the performance of human cars is always the same, modulo
the BHP degredation mentioned previously.
WHY IS THE AI (ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE) SO RUBBISH?
Who knows, but it reeks doesn't it? There seems to be no real way to
cope with this, except to learn what the other cars do, and avoid any of
there stupid overtaking maneuvers. This is the main area that the game
falls down in, since everything else has been really well written.
One of the areas in which to pay most attention is the pit lane, since
the computer cars will quite happily pull out in front of you as you do
150 mph down the lane and so cause a collision. Conversely, watch your
mirrors as you pull out since they appear quite quickly if you are in
the last pit.
On the track, they basically follow the ideal line unless slipstreaming.
If you can get your front wheels ahead of theirs they do move over so
perfect your drafting technique!
WHY AREN'T THERE EXTENSION DISKS?
At the moment there are no extension disks available and none are likely
to become available, this is not through any fault of MicroProse, but
due to the strict licensing agreements with FIA, who are in charge of
the licensing of Grand Prix related material. MicroProse only bought the
rights to the 1991 season so that tracks will have to stay at that
level.
WHO ARE THE DRIVERS MEANT TO BE, AND WHY AREN'T THEY?
The game comes supplied with a set of names which bear almost no
relation to the actual drivers names. This is because the drivers would
probably want to be paid for there names, so MicroProse took the cheaper
and more sensible option. The names that are supplied are meant to sound
like names from the same country as the real driver, hence Carlos
Sanchez instead of Ayrton Senna. The correct list of names can be found
at the end of the supplement to the game, and the names for 1993/94
season can be found on the Rec.Autos.Sport.F1 newsgroup.
CIRCUITS
Which circuit does it default to around the world?
Well, on the European version it selects Silverstone as the default GP
if English language is chosen, Magny Cours if French is the language,
and if the language is German it chooses Hockenheim, so it looks like it
depends on what country you live in! Hence World Circuit uses Phoenix
and the Italian version chooses Monza.
What are the best circuits?
This is a scored listing of the tracks as posted by readers of the
amigaf1gp mailing list and rec.autos.simulators. This vote is now
closed; Monte Carlo is the clear winner, not a great surprise!
Race Qualifying Total
1 Monte Carlo 41 1 Monte Carlo 40 1 Monte Carlo 81
2 Magny Cours 34 2 Mexico City 36 2 Mexico City 68
3 Spa 33 3 Hockenhiem 35 3 Imola 64
4 Imola 32 4 Adelaide 34 4 Hockenhiem 51
==Mexico City 32 5 Imola 32 ==Magny Cours 51
6 Monza 31 6 Silverstone 23 6 Spa 50
7 Interlagos 20 7 Suzuka 20 7 Monza 49
8 Suzuka 19 8 Monza 18 8 Adelaide 47
9 Hockenhiem 16 9 Spa 17 9 Suzuka 39
10 Adelaide 13 ==Magny Cours 17 10 Silverstone 35
11 Silverstone 12 11 Montreal 12 11 Interlagos 21
12 Phoenix 10 12 Estoril 7 ==Montreal 21
13 Montreal 9 13 Phoenix 5 13 Phoenix 15
14 Barcelona 3 14 Hungaroring 3 14 Estoril 7
15 Estoril 0 15 Interlagos 1 15 Barcelona 3
==Hungaroring 0 16 Barcelona 0 ==Hungaroring 3
Scoring: the top four tracks score 5, 4, 3, 1 points, with the most
hated getting a 1 point penalty.
Is there a track editor?
No, nor is there ever likely to be one. DG: I did hear rumors that
someone had turned Mexico into an oval, but don't have any more details.
I'M IN LOVE WITH THE AUTHOR, WHO IS HE?
The author of the game is Geoff Crammond, he has been responsible for
most of the innovative games to appear in the auto simulation world, he
previously wrote the original version of Revs for the BBC Micro. It was
based on Formula 3 racing at Silverstone (the old circuit without the
Vale complex and with the chicane at Woodcote) and was developed with
help from David Hunt (James Hunt's brother), who was racing in British
F3 at the time. The track was quite accurately reproduced and the game
played quite quickly. The game had practice, qualifying and race
sessions like F1GP, but it didn't have pits and you started your
practice and qualifying sessions out on the track! There was also an
expansion pack released which contained four other British tracks,
Oulton Park, Snetterton, Donington Park, and Brands Hatch. Revs was also
released on the Commodore 64.
He then wrote Stunt Car Racer for the Amiga/ST (and the PC, although the
conversion is reported to be poor: 4 color EGA only; the port was
apparantly not done by Crammond) which was as it's name suggests was a
stunt car racing game. The main aim of the game was to race another
stunt car around an elevated circuit, trying not to fall off. Getting in
your way were large gaps in the circuit which had to be jumped by
hitting a ramp at the right speed. Too slow and you went down the hole,
too fast and you cracked the chassis. When the chassis was fully
cracked, your race was over. The best part about this game was the two
player serial option which allowed you to push your mates off the track.
The rest of the programming team seems to be members of his close
family! The only other name that jumps out is that of Pete Cook who
wrote some of the best games on the Sinclair ZX Spectrum. Interestingly
he was involved with the game Grand Prix from CRL, which attempted to
simulate the management of a GP team. It was very simple but great fun.
Outside of auto racing games, Crammond also made an excellent 3D game
called The Sentinel, for Spectrum, C64, Amiga, Atari, etc, and it was a
very nice idea. You were in a landscape, absorbing some objects,
teleporting from one place to the other, always trying to be out of
sight of a sentinel that was guarding the landscape. The goal was to
have enough energy to climb higher then the sentinel (you were able to
build little platforms) and absorb him and take his place. There were
people who didn't like the game, but those who liked it were addicted to
it. It would be nice to see the game in Virtual Reality, it would be
easy to write.
WHAT DO THE REAL DRIVERS THINK?
There have been two drivers who have commented on the game, they are
Oliver Gavin, and Derek Warwick. Gavin is a top F3 driver who, according
to MicroProse, played the game on a friends Amiga before the race at
Spa, and the went on to win it!
"Because part of the circuit is on the public road, Oliver couldn't
practice on the circuit", explains Geoff, "so he used F1GP to learn
the track, took pole position and won the race."
Derek Warwick on the other hand drove for the F1 team Arrows/Footwork
(who helped write the game!) and gave it a glowing write up in Autosport
Magazine, just before the Canadian GP (the 10 June 1993 issue). There
was also an interview with the Footwork engineers. He gave some lap
times but they were very poor, and he had to drive with full help. This
provoked a spate of letters to the magazine from people asking for his
job, including the following, from the 17 June 1993 issue:
GIZAJOBI read last week's Canadian Grand Prix preview - about
Footwork Formula 1's computer game - with interest.
I have been playing the game for several months now and was
delighted to read how accurate it is. Allen McDonald claimed he
could lap Montreal in 1m19s. Well I can lap in 1m17.627s so does
this mean I can take Derek Warwick's place if ever he feels like
having the weekend off.
J Mosley
Sheffield, Yorkshire
Also, a Canadian driver contacted him to say how accurate the Montreal
course was.
WHAT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WC AND F1GP?
There seems to be no difference apart from the name, with the version
numbers staying consistent with each other. The only difference is the
loading screens (see separate question).
What are the WC gif files?
These files are used in the US version of GP, known as World Circuit.
WHY DO I NOT SEEM TO BE ABLE TO GO SO QUICK SOME DAYS?
The game randomly degrades the player's car's horsepower from its
default of 716BHP, presumably to simulate changing track conditions. The
latest GPLap (version 5.0) fixes this.
WHY DOES THE CAR STEER ITSELF SOMETIMES?
This effect is most noticeable in the pits, when the car is pulled into
the correct lane as you drive past, though the computer 'aids' you
steering as you go round every course. The reason for this is the
Steering Help option set in the Game Controls, Steering, menu. This
feature is there to help users who driver using the keyboard or a
standard joystick, since they find it hard to make slight course
adjustments. The only way to disable this feature in a race is to put
the car in the 'turning gear' you can then steer the car anywhere you
want in the pits etc, thought quite why you would want to...
HOW ARE THE PIT BAYS ALLOCATED?
This is more of a general GP question than specific to the game, but the
pits are given out according to the team's position in the previous
years constructors championship. There seems to be a bit of a bug in the
game when you drive for the top team, in that at some courses it is very
hard to get into the pit bay correctly! The corner is too sharp and with
the steering help on, you almost always over shoot. DG: Can't say as
I've noticed this, but then again I slow down on the pit lane like
you're supposed too.
One correspondant reports that he is working on a patch to alter the
pit-bay allocation.
WHAT HAPPENS IF I OVERSHOOT MY PIT?
To put it simply, you cannot over shoot your pit (unless steering help
is turned off) the computer will always try and pull you in. This means
that you can be parked at very strange angles, but this does not seem to
hurt your stop time, though the get-away may become more difficult! (Of
course, some people would consider this cheating!)
One correspondant reports:
I've overshot the pit at Monza. The pit entrance is very straight
and you can build up enough speed so that the game won't actually
stop you.
LINKED PLAY
Why doesn't the modem play work?
If you own the Amiga or Atari ST version then you are out of luck since
the modem support never appeared on either of these versions, the PC
game is the only version with the support.
There is no modem support on the first version (1.01) but this was added
on the updates 1.04 and 1.05, the link option needs two quite fast
machine to work well, on 386SX it is almost unplayable, and the slowest
machine dictates the speed of the other machines; on a 386DX you'll
probably need a 16550 UART to get acceptable performance. If the game
seems to pause a lot or you get regular (but not constant) link data
mismatches, try reducing the frame rate on the slower machine by 30% or
more.
What are these modem menus?
On the PC, if you hex edit the .EXE file from version 1.00 you will find
some references to modems and COM links, these menus are not enabled and
you will have to upgrade to access the link option.
Can I play across a real network?
No. Neither IPX nor TCP/IP are supported; only the COM ports may be
used.
If you have a dialup connection to the Internet, you may be able to use
the Internet Head-to-Head Daemon (IHHD) to play with someone on the net.
You can find more details in ftp://cactus.org/pub/IHHD/.
In theory, one could use a null-modem cable to loop the COM ports on two
machines together, and write a TSR which would transfer bytes between
the network card and the COM port which isn't selected in the game. So
far, nobody has reported trying this.
Is there any way to connect two computers other than null modem cable?
Javier Vizcaino suggested the following alternative method of
connection,
You can play F1GP (and other games) through a direct connection,
informing the game you are connected "Direct", and having a modem at
each end. You establish the connection through a communication package,
or from the DOS prompt, before entering the game. The link is done from
modem to modem, through a direct telephone cable, with RJ-11 connectors
at each end. This has some advantages:
Easier cable than a null modem. You can have it built at a telephone
shop. It can also be much longer than an RS232 cable.
No galvanic isolation to care about.
You can play with your neighbour, and talk with him at the time through
the phone.
With external modems, you can observe F1GP exchanging packets.
Some computer/modem fun, without paying the phone call.
Of couse, there are some disadvantages:
A modem is needed at each end. But if you already have the modems...
A more complex connection (probably some debugging/experimenting
needed).
Procedure:
Have the modems (2400+) connected at each end to COM1-COM4. If you use
COM3-COM4 make sure you use IRQ4-IRQ3: F1GP doesn't recognize other
hardware interrupts there.
Establish the connection: modems on leased line (we won't dial), with
one modem calling and the other answering. This may be done:
With a communication program: set the port, set the baud rate, connect
to the modem, inform leased line, make one answer and the other
call. Exit the program maintaining the connection.
From the DOS prompt. Edit a batch program at each site:
Calling modem:
mode com1:96,n,8,1
echo at&l1d>com1
Answering modem:
mode com1:96,n,8,1
echo at&l1a>com1
(Check if this is correct: I write without the DOS manual). Execute the
programs and listen to the modems. Adapt the batch to your requirements
and to your modems. Disable MNP/V42/V42bis (error
correction/compression).
Enter F1GP and make the program believe you have a "Direct" connection.
Of course, inform of the same COM ports and baud rate than before.
Note that you can change the PC initiating the connection, since the
link was done previously. Connect on both sides. F1GP should
exchange packets and establish the connection.
If you try this, pass on your experiences to jviz...@colibri.tid.es
(Javier Vizcaino).
WARP SPEED?
John Robert Cole writes concerning edited GP.EXEs with enormous
horsepower settings (most editors can only go up to 999; in fact because
of the way it's stored internally, it's possible to push it up to 1432
BHP). John calls this "warp speed" but I prefer to think of it as "wrap
speed"; read on and you'll understand.
This is the where you can push the computer cars to their limit, and
they literally explode. What I can figure out is the program never
expects the AI cars to go over a limit of 394 km/h, but if this
occurence happens their speed is instantaneously reset to zero. So think
about this scenario your happily pushing Nigel Mansell down the
straights of Hockenheim at around 400 km/h, he hit's WARP SPEED! but
your still doing 400km/h so the logical thing for the program to do is
destroy his car. Funny maybe for the first time but thats about it.
Also it's interesting to go up alonside a driver while doing over
400km/h and clipping their wheels just enough to make them hit warp
speed and make them dissapear into distance.
[DG: I believe the exact speed is 411km/h, which is 256mph, since 255 is
the largest value a single byte can hold, so 256 becomes 0.]
F1GP VERSION 2?
Yes, it's on its way, due perhaps in September, along with Grand Prix
Manager, Virtual Karts, and Super Bike Grand Prix. There are some rather
scant press releases at
http://www.mal.com/~dgymer/f1gpmisc/mpspress.html.
Wish list
Here is the current wish list compiled from suggestions make by people
on the net. DG: These suggestions have been passed on to MicroProse UK;
if you have any more, mail me to add them to the list. Some of these are
kind of far out! I've seperated them into "must"s, "maybe"s, and "it's a
nice idea"s.
Musts:
Better AI. At higher levels they should more aggressivly look to
outbrake and slipstream human players, and slower drivers (being
lapped for example) should make room. They should raise an arm or
something when pitting to avoid being hit (or, better still, sort
out the pit entrances so they don't slow down right on the racing
line).
Variable weather in races, and a rear light in the rain.
Still run on 386 with 1mb. Gimzo's corollary #1: make full use of more
memory for replays and such. [DG: This is a contentious issue. I
think a 386DX/33 with 4mb memory is a more sensible limit, with the
caveat that virtually all the graphical detail would have to be
turned off.]
Keep the graphics fast and smooth, not too much detail. Gizmo's
corollary #2: much better graphics for Pentium owners.
Better in game information about the state of the other cars.
Proper external and car-mounted cameras with zoom, and a real replay
facility, like in IndyCar Racing.
Better accidents with debris, and mechanical problems, and have the
computer cars fall off a bit more often with mechanical problems.
Remove stalled cars from dangerous places like runoff areas as well
as the track itself. Red flags after pile-ups, pace car, blue flags
for overtaking, black flags (DQ or stop-and-go) if you speed or
reverse in the pit lane (build a pit-lane speed limiter into the
game), or overtake under yellow, or cause a nasty shunt. The
probability of mechanical problems should be adjustable, and the
user should be able to select whether nobody, just AI cars, or the
player and AI cars should be affected.
Pit boards and other pit-to-car communication for better information.
Fuel. Refuelling during pit stops, and running out of fuel. Blown tyres
and punctures on hitting walls or other cars.
A network version over IPX or better still TCP/IP (26+ players at
once!).
Make [null] modem play work correctly, as in ICR and NASCAR, without the
enormous increase in CPU usage.
Sand traps, so that you can't take a short cut, and loss of grip after
an excursion across the grass or dust.
Better modelling of curbs (have the car roll or even veer up on two
wheels).
Better modelling of setups (40/40:00 seems to be more like 30/40:05F).
Anti-roll bars. Allow brake-bias to be changed from the cockpit.
Document the file formats properly so third parties can write editors
for car & helmet colors, opponent strengths, and other things,
similar to GPEditor, and even a track editor.
No nasty surprises, like the degrading horsepower and AI grip.
A built-in performance logger, like GPPerf.
Allow each player in a multiplayer (taking turns) game to have a
different control method. Best of all, have user profiles, so that
several people who share the game on a single machine don't have to
change the options all the time. [DG: In single-player mode, you can
achieve this with a batch file?]
Add some basic information (speed, gear, RPM, laps, gap) to the external
view, especially the one from behind the car.
During qualifying, make the "monitor" scrollable so you can see details
of all the other drivers. Also, get rids of Q tyres and have Ds and
a limited number of laps, as under the current regulations.
A version of the "gap" command which tells you about the cars
immediately ahead and behind, even if they are lapping or being
lapped by you.
Allow the selection of neutral during a spin, fast enough to avoid
stalling the engine.
Redefinable keys.
Maybes:
Split the qualifying and practice into four sessions instead of two, so
you get the normal thing: first practice (60 min), first qualifying
(60 min), second practice (60 min), second qualifying (60 min),
Sunday warmup (30 min), race (max 2 hours).
Better sound. Real sampled engine for those with either fast computers
or low-overhead soundcards (eg. SB16 with AdSP or Gravis
UltraSound). Also, sounds like the whining of the brakes, the tub
hitting the ground (especially under heavy fuel loads), and real
tyre screech if you lock a wheel or spin off.
Parade lap.
Player's engine blows if over-revved.
Smoke from wheelspin and brake/tyre lock-ups.
An Internet server which would allow players to come and go during a
game.
A network monitoring station which would display current positions, lap
times, fixed camera views, and could even be used as a steward's
station to hand out penalties, DQs, red flag the race, and so on.
[DG: I've got and old 386 on my desk on my bedroom network which
would be just perfect for this... :-]
An analyzer for the built-in logger.
Drive into the Parc Ferm at the end of the race.
No 25 frames per second limit, for Ninja PCs. [DG: But I doubt the human
eye can even distinguish more than this. US television pictures, for
instance, are only 30 fps, European TV is 25fps (both are
interlaced).]
Nice ideas:
Visor rip-offs. If you drive close behind another car you get more oil
and stuff on your visor and might have to tear a rip-off off to see
properly.
Random DQs for fuel "irregularities" or over-worn wooden planks (I could
be uncharitable and describe certain FIA officials as "planks" but I
won't `cause I'm a nice guy). [Note to the humor impaired: this is a
joke!]
Improve car with more testing in-season, eg. more reliable, faster,
easier handling.
Linkable version on the Amiga and ST, with a full Amiga AGA version with
256 colors.
Built-in editor for car & helmet colors, opponent strengths, and other
things, similar to GPEditor, and even a track editor.
Support for VR helmet so you can look sideways during passing.
Crowd goes wild if Ferrari win at Imola or Monza, or Williams at
Silverstone, or Schumacher at Hockenhiem, etc.
Team management, eg. cashflow, sponsorship, driver and mechanic
management.
Dave Gymer
Version 1.03beta3, 30 June 1995
Important note for NetScape users
Early NetScape 1.1 betas have a broken FTP client which will prevent it
working with the didnt.doit FTP site, which sadly is where most of the
good stuff is. Either use a real FTP client, try an older or newer
version of NetScape (1.1 release is reported to work okay), or a
different browser, such as Lynx, Cello, or Mosaic.
Contents
General Information
Questions And Answers
Track Guides
Driving Guide
Technical FAQ
What's new
More in the TechFAQ.
Some info on the "warp speed" bug.
More hints in the driving guide.
Still to be done
The technical FAQ is pretty rough. I don't really have the time or
inclination to edit this properly so I'm looking for a volunteer to take
this task over.
The track guides a being rewritten yet again.
If anyone has a richtext (RTF) or perhaps HTML to plain ASCII convertor
for DOS or Windows that actually works, I'd love to lay my hands on it.
I've tried HTMLCON and it was crap; I also tried compiling RTF2TEXT with
DJGPP but gave up. At the moment I'm using DosLynx, but it's not
terribly good at rendering non-trivial HTML.Help!
Acknowledgments
Thanks to all of the following who have helped in the creation of these
documents (whether they know it or not!), including:
carsten....@math.uni-giessen.de (Carsten Baermann)
ub...@rz.uni-karlsruhe.de (Volker Busche)
Andy Coates
s950...@arcadia.cs.rmit.edu.au (John Robert Cole)
Wilf...@jcn.nl (Wilfred v.d. Deijl)
T.A.S.vD...@kub.nl (Tim van Dooremalen)
al...@werple.mira.net.au (Glenn Durden)
pete.f...@minster.york.ac.uk (Pete Fenelon)
aj...@torfree.net (Brian Ferguson)
g...@students.fct.unl.pt (Gustavo Goncalves G Figueiredo)
rj...@pop.hermes.cam.ac.uk (Robin Goodall)
ghaw...@comp.vuw.ac.nz (Graham Hawkins)
cr...@sco.COM (Craig Heath)
S950...@huntsman.cse.rmit.edu.au (Christopher Jordan)
Domagoj...@oleh.srce.hr (Domagoj Malovic)
ec...@unicorn.ccc.nottingham.ac.uk (John Mansfield)
craig....@hydro.co.uk (Craig Miller)
paul.mu...@asb.com (Paul Mussington)
reic...@execpc.com (Doug Reichley)
dre...@sable.ox.ac.uk (David Reimer)
O.J.C....@essex.ac.uk (Oliver Roberts)
r.s...@twi.tudelft.nl (Ren, Smit)
csr...@gol.com (Kevin Sullivan)
e892...@student.tuwien.ac.at (Ivanhoe Vasiljevich)
jviz...@colibri.tid.es (Javier Vizcaino)
I don't know the real names of any of the following:
bmcb...@hakatac.almanac.bc.ca
ci...@d0tokensun.fnal.gov
c...@ukc.ac.uk
lamo...@ERE.UMontreal.ca
me9...@brunel.ac.uk
pmis...@superdec.uni.uiuc.edu
TJSS...@Uctvax.UCT.AC.za
The many PC Hall Of Famers who helped provide more raw data for analysis
for occupancy and frame rate characteristics
Last but by no means least, gor...@aisb.edinburgh.ac.uk (Gordon Bell),
who put the thing together in the first place
World Wide Web home pages
The Amiga Formula One home page is
http://cswww2.essex.ac.uk/users/robeoy/af1.html and the F1GP/WC PC Home
Page is http://www.mal.com/~dgymer/home.html.
-----------------------------------
dgy...@gdcarc.co.uk (Dave Gymer)
Doug Reichley
: the game on a single machine don't have to change the options all the
: time.
You can do this with WCLAUNCH. Each person can have their own preference
file (f1prefs.dat) and load it before playing.
You just can't do it from within the game.