rec.autos.simulators

Firstly, lets just say that I really like this game, its difficult to
compare it gp2, as ones a simulator and ones an arcade game. Anyway here
are a few annoying things I think should have been sorted out, and a few
questions for others players of F1.

1) Why so many ***y menu pages. If I want to play the same track as I was
playing last time, with the same driver and other attributes, I shouldn't
have to wade through 7 or so screens of menus.The same can be said of
F1GP2. "Select Joystick", "Are you sure", "Joystick selected". So many
popup message and dialog boxes, that it severely interrupts the flow of the
game. Don't these people know how to apply their obvious talent to
programming a decent user interface !!

2) The pauses everynow and then are annoying. It seems to happen more at
tracks like Australia, maybe due to the amount of detail. All the reviews I
saw didn't mention this problem. It should have been sorted out before
release. I haven't tried turning off the commentary to see if this helps.

3) If I want to save my default settings, I don't expect to have to delete
my default settings first, then type DEFAULT in again, and then save it.
Ever heard of a SAVE default button which would prompt for overwriting.

4) Decent manual anybody ? What is locked camera ? Smoothing ? How do they
effect the speed of the game ?

Anyway apart from the gripes, a really good game

Mat
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|_______________________|
| Matthew Dunning       |

| "Make Win95 run like  |
| 3.11, use Paradox 7"  |
|_______________________|

PS F1 is more of a sim than you make out.  Try the hard level in the
wet with a MadCatz or neGcon.

[Snipped]
After finishing, or abandoning, a race you get the option to restart
the same one again.  If you have set it to do qualifying and you quit
straight away you will start the race at you previous position.

I only notice these pauses within the first few laps of a race or
practise.
The pauses are in no way related to on screen detail because it will
crawl if the workload gets to high.

This IS annoying.

I presume 'locked camera' is to do with the replays but seeing as I
have only really played it with a neGcon, with which the replays
don't work, I haven't tried it.  Don't know about smoothing.

I'm with you on that one.

I am not sure if a previous post of mine got through, if it didn't
then I will say here that if you win the world championship then you
get access to an extra track called Frameout City.
The track is in the shape of a racing car, bit like the FIA logo, and
is more wipEout like the F1 but is good.
I got the track by winning a Grand Prix mode, medium level, full
grid, 10% distance, fuel off, damage on, tyre ware on, help options
off.

Rich.

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My point was that compared to F1GP2 simulation level, is doesn't get near
it. Originally, some people were raising hopes by saying that it was going
to be as good as simulator as F1GP2. Don't get me wrong I think F1 is
brillant, but it us not a true simulation. Have you tried it on the Mad
Katz. Is it true that you have to play it using manual gears ? Is the Mad
Katz worth it ? Is it any good with other driving games ?

All I was saying that if I want to try another track, before I get to the
track option, I have to wade throught the menu pages again.

As I understand it, it is not the processing power which causes these
pauses, but the fact that the playstation is loading from the CD,
additional track data, as it can't compress all the information into its
small memory. My own experiances are that it happens more on tracks with
greater detail. I stand to be corrected,

Thanks for the info. When I get a chance, I'll have a good crack at it.

regards

Mat

Andy

Thanks Sony !!. Normally companies do a limited run of CD's to check them
out before committing to a full run. Smacks of incompetance (IMHO)
Looks like I'll have to lose Murray !!

Mat

Rich.

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I thought that PSF1 was going to get close to the level of GP2 sadly
it didn't.
I have only briefly tried a MadCatz in a shop and didn't like it much
but it wasn't fixed down and I couldn't get a good seating position
so it wasn't a fair test.  I have a neGcon which is more practical
for me because the PS I have been using is a friends which passed
around between a few  people.
When I played F1 in the shop using the MC it was in arcade mode and
definitely had auto gears.

Because the options will be left set as before it is just a case of
continually hitting fire till you get where you want.  But yes it
would be nice to have all that set on sub menus so you could just
bring up the menus you want to change before picking 'go to race'.

The track data isn't loaded on the fly if so the pauses would be
continuous throughout a race whereas I only tend to see them early on
in a race, qualifying or practise session.

Rich.

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"Just a quick line to explain the occasional pausing when playing
 Formula 1. It is not due to the fact that we're streaming any of the
 game or tracks off the CD - that's all done at the start - just remove
 the CD and you'll still be able to play.

 It breifly pauses becuase of the commentary. There are thousands of
 samples, too many to be kept in the PlayStations sound RAM, all which
 have to be selected 'on the fly' from the CD. However, if the CD comes
 up with a reading error, the machine stops and re-seeks for the
 sample, causing a single frame 'stutter'.

 We have found that this seems to improve if you keep the PlayStation
 cool, and the bottom surface of the CD clean. Obviously, if you play
 with the music on, or effects only, rather than the commentary, the
 stuttering should not happen.

 Hope this helps

 Sarah

 *** Bizarre Creations ***"

There! Straight from the horses mouth. Also, I've read somewhere that
turning your Playstation upside down cuts down on read errors.

I saw F1 in a shop and thought there was just one problem with the
authenticity of the Murray Walker commentary.  During the brief period in
which I was watching,  he never seemed to make any mistakes.  Surely it would
be more accurate,  and probably more entertaining,  if there was an
occaisional stuff up in his commentary,  just like the real thing.

Nathan Long

"If at first you don't succeed,
destroy all evidence that you tried."

At one point he does say "And if I not very much mistaken, <pause> I am
very much mistaken !!!"
and "Yes , Yes , Yes !!" occasionally.

Excellent game, ***front end !!

Mat