rec.autos.simulators

2) Graphics....TIE fighter is awfully fast, and the graphics BLOW
   WC out of the water.

3) Controls? Car editors?                    

4) Stuff I'd like to see:

a) black flags and other MEANINGFUL flags, like blue, for instance
b) refueling pit stops
c) IMPORTANT (!!) When you downshift too quickly, the engine blows up.
   This should be flaggable, like using the F1 for autobrakes, etc.
d) Shunts making the car undrivable
e) Reasearch thread (like XCOM or UFO) and budgeting, say for active suspensions
f) Changing driver names through the season
g) Tyres blowing
h) 16 tracks, and a randomly selected GP of Europe. Also, an editor to:
    i) Allow the addition of future tracks
   ii) Edit the season- who wants to race at Donnington when it's not part
       of the season.

Lastly, a 'screw the world champion' option, where the FIA can use politics
to force the end of the season to be the place where the World Championship
is decided......

Jeff
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Yeah, I would rather have fast vectors like X-wing/TIE fighter than the
texture mapping stuff in ICR. I still don't think processors are fast
enough to do it properly (apart from the P90's)
:
: 3) Controls? Car editors?                    

: 4) Stuff I'd like to see:

: a) black flags and other MEANINGFUL flags, like blue, for instance

 Just dont have the ICR no-overtaking yellow. Wave it, sure, but it
is increadibly boring lapping for a couple of laps at 100 mph

:b) refueling pit stops
:) IMPORTANT (!!) When you downshift too quickly, the engine blows up.
:    This should be flaggable, like using the F1 for autobrakes, etc.
: d) Shunts making the car undrivable

And more accidents in general, for the computer especially. I have gone
through seasons where only 1 or 2 cars have DNF's at all.

: e) Reasearch thread (like XCOM or UFO) and budgeting, say for active suspensions
Nice idea. Multiple seasons and car changes would be a good idea, like with
the williams team this year. Could be hard to do well, though..

:f) Changing driver names through the season
: g) Tyres blowing

 As long as you can turn it off, or at least do something about it. Same
with engine problems - these could become very frustrating. I may want to
race a Williams, but I dont want to grind to a halt on the last lap, like
Mansell or Coulthard.

:h) 16 tracks, and a randomly selected GP of Europe. Also, an editor to:
:     i) Allow the addition of future tracks
:    ii) Edit the season- who wants to race at Donnington when it's not part
:        of the season.
:  
: Lastly, a 'screw the world champion' option, where the FIA can use politics
: to force the end of the season to be the place where the World Championship
: is decided......

Bye bye Schumacher..... :-)

: Jeff
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             """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Is this definitely going to be implemented in the game? I certainly hope so, as
engine noise is one of the most important aspects in a simulation and gives it so
much atmosphere. Really, stereo sound should be implemented so that the location of
other cars w.r.to you is obvious from the sounds.

I agree - texture mapping as seen in IndyCar can actually be quite unsightly, unless
it is SVGA mode ( as for NASCAR ). Otherwise, crisp and clear vectors with a well
defined palate should suffice.

Hopefully, someone should bring out a steering wheel with semi-automatic paddles -
better than the T1.

Yes - it would be much more interesting if they simulate the 1994 season ( ie with
fuel-stops ). However, they might feel that this will throw up a few problems, such
as the death of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger as well as the early-season rule
changes which affect the aero-dynamics of the cars.

   This should be flaggable, like using the F1 for autobrakes, etc.

I disagree about the downshift thing - just about all ( if not every ) modern F1 car
runs a semi-automatic gearbox, one of the advantages of which is to prevent engine
blowups by electronically not permitting the driver to down-shift if the revs are too
high. What I WOULD like to see is some sort a reliability factor ( flaggable ) which
affects the performance of the gearbox, engine etc..

Yes - real F1 are quite delicate. In the original F1GP ( 'World Circuit' in America)
damage was limited to broken front/rear wing or complete engine cut-out for high
speed impacts. I think that it should also be possible to, for example, bend
wish-bones on the car.

I don't think that WCII should be that sort of game - I'd rather concentrate on the
driving! There are various p.d. games, I believe, which cover these aspects of F1.

Yes

Again, yes. This worked quite well in the original Indy 500 game. It was possible to
have a 'flat' and still limp back to the pits.

If WCII is as comprehensive as I hope, then MicroProse should be able to add add-on
packs for each season or individual tracks ( in a similar way to Microsoft with the
FlightSim series ).

Things I would like to see:

1) Advisory race set-up and planning. In a real Grand Prix, the race engineers would
advise the driver on wing-settings, gear ratios etc. for each race. A driver will
tailor these settings slightly for his own driving style. In F1GP ( WC ), these
settings are totally left to the discretion of the driver. Also applies to fuel-stop
strategy if implemented.

2) More realistic physics implemented in the handling of the car ( as in IndyCar ).
F1GP often gives the impression that the car is 'on rails' although this might be due
to the steering help option.

3) VERY IMPORTANT. Better computer driver A.I. While it was 'robust' in F1GP, it was
not very satisfactory. In particuar, drivers infront would not block overtaking. At
places like Monaco, it was possible to outbrake about 5 cars at a time at the
entrance to the harbour.

4) Network play. This is, in my opinion, one of the futures of computer games. One
day soon there may well be a 'virtual' world championship as well as a real one. What
is really needed is for someone like MicroProse to try and steal a lead on this
one and team up with one of the telephone carriers to offer some sort of
play-by-telephone service, whereby you can play against 25 other drivers from across
the country. The original F1GP required only 2400 baud for a two-player link up. With
the advent of cheap, faster modems, what about a 26 player link-up through some
central bulletin-board. If MicroProse were really going to make something of F1GP II
then this is where they must be heading??

Fraser.