rec.autos.simulators

In any event, the only way you could even THINK of converting a
Playstation CD to a PC would be to either a) have the Playstation
chipset somewhere in your PC (like the PSX Dev kits), or b) do
everything in emulation...and considering the hit you'd take in trying
to emulate an R3000, you'd STILL need to run things through a 3D
accelerator.  All in all, its just apples & oranges.

I'm a happy guy.  I own a Playstation (which now costs only $199), and
my Pentium, so I'm in no hurry whatsoever for Psygnosis to do a PC
port.  And if you consider that for less than the price of one of the
new PCI 3D graphics boards you can buy the Playstation, a steering
wheel and the game, it suddenly seems silly to be pining away for a PC
version which, WITHOUT the 3D graphics board, is going to be a
stripped version of the heavily hardware assisted Playstation
original.

Also, consider that Psygnosis is using Digital Dolby Surround, and if
you have any kind of home theater setup and a big TV, Psygnosis F1
will be FANTASTIC on a Television.  And oh yeah, note that they have
preserved the television appearance in the game with the EDS scoring
systems and split times....it will feel like you're watching it on TV,
and listening to the doppler effects of F1 engines all around you.  I
CAN'T WAIT!

Randy

eh....

<<Ring ... Ring ...  Allo? Tuut ... Tuut .. Tuut ...>>

Randy Magruder

Do i sense tears?

        Man you must be waiting for this game like you wait to lose your
***ity. You know as little on this game as me. I dont really give a
rip how "realistic" this game is. You obviously love this thing more than
life, thats ok i'll stick to women.
        I'm sorry I had to say it, this is not personal, i'm just saying
that the track record of platform "sims" is horrible and I cant see this
game making that much of a jump. It will be the best"sim" for any console
ever but when F1GP2 comes out I know it wont compare.
        Just my opinion dont freak out Randy.

All I can say is....wake up and smell the coffee...

Randy

"* Controllers - Standard, NeGcon and the new Mad Catz analogue
steering wheel and pedals combo. Memory card support - for best times,
season details, car set-up and replays"

--- Did DAYTONA let you do custom car setups and save them?  NO!

* We have signed the rights for the PlayStation to do the official
1996 Formula One licence - Licensed by FOCA to Fuji Television. This
means we will be representing all 13 teams taken from the 1995 season,
with the 35 drivers that raced during the year. All 17 circuits will
be available to race.

-- Did DAYTONA represent real Nascar circuits and teams? NO!

* We are working with a leading Formula One team to assist with the
game dynamics, ensuring the game is accurate as well as playable.

-- DAYTONA?  Yeah right.

* Grand Prix mode for the advanced driver, with realistic car
handling, is based on telemetry data taken from Formula One cars.
Options include race strategy, tyre and refuelling stops, car set-up
options, etc.

-- Did DAYTONA have this stuff?  no!

 On either mode, choose to practice, quick race or go for the whole
championship. Select whether you want collision damage, qualifying,
statistically accurate, dynamic weather conditions...

-- Oh yeah..sounds like DAYTONA to me!  NOT.

* In-car sound effects are taken from a DAT recorder physically
strapped to a drivers body. External track-side and pit lane sounds
are also included. Dynamic calculated Doppler effects for TV cameras,
overtaking and in car to give the game a very realistic feel.

-- Oh but its only as realistic as DAYTONA, right?!

And from Sim Racing News:

"The Jordan assistance will be wide-ranging, and help in many areas of
development. For example, the engineers and mechanics will be advising
of the simulation, set-up and technical sides of the product; the
Jordan drivers will give their input into the realism of the game.
Sounds are being recorded from both inside and outside the car, and
the pit crew will be giving the games developers a special motion
captured performance! "

Still think the game will only be as realistic as Sega's DAYTONA?!

More from Sim Racing News::  "That helpful team was Eddie Jordan's B&H
Total Jordan Peugeot Grand Prix team and we are very grateful to them
for assisting with sim-racing as they have. Apparently Rubens
Barrichello is also a bit of a computer games fan, so maybe we'll have
a chance to compare hotlaps with him after the game is
released......more news later!"

Richard Baxter, Associate Producer - Psygnosis, walked me through the
game and some of its features. Folks, this aint just an arcade game,
this also has a sim-mode that uses what seemed to be a very accurate
physics model. To make sure they got this game right, Psygnosis teamed
up with the B&H Total Jordan Peugeot Grand Prix Team to help in
development.  

Anyone who gets the chance to play this sim would most likely agree
with the above statements, this new game by Psygnosis/Bizarre
Creations is sure to be one of the biggest hits for the Playstation,
and if they do decide to go with a PC version, theyre sure to give
F1GP2 a run for their money!!!

Anyway, I think of hit you with enough ammunition -- so if you wish to
continue insisting that its some silly arcade game that's no more
realistic than DAYTONA, I strongly suggest you find some corroborating
evidence or just admit that your post was nothing but
anti-console-bigotry.

Randy

There are three difficulty levels (I think).. arcade, as in accelerate
the hell out of the car; another arcade which is harder; and
simulation, where you have heaps of control over the car's setup.

Same.. but it's a bit hard to resist when Playstations are 1/3 off at
most places here in Melbourne, Aus.. I just hope that's the new retail
price.

--

[]_.-' (Q_,._     http://netspace.net.au/~petert/
`(*)_[6]___(*)Z>  Go Jacques Villeneuve!

Now, now - stop all this fighting... :)

I'm going down for a full test-session this weekend, so the next issue
of Sim Racing News will let you know EXACTLY how it drives - no
conjecture, but actually how it is. "Just the facts ma'am" and all that.

FWIW, from chatting with the team and learning how much they've put into
this, I have no concern at all that I'll be disappointed - I'm really
looking forward to it.

Cheers!
John

                      _________________________________
          __    _____|                                 |_____    __
_________|  |__|    :|          John Wallace           |     |__|  |_________

  \     :|  |::|    :|       Team WW Racing TSW        |     |::|  |      /
    >   :|  |::|    :|_________________________________|     |::|  |    <
  /     :|__|::|____:/         Sim Racing News         \.____|::|__|      \
/_______:/  \::/ http://www.racesimcentral.net/\::/  \._______\

In reply to your and Kyle's queries about the darkness of the
screenshots, it's a result of the way they are taken, and we've no
idea why it happens!

The shots are captured from the direct scart feed to the TV/monitor
from a development kit, as it's easier to save them to the PC hard
drive that way. Unfortunately, this method produces these dark images
- the image is the same quality and res. as a standard screen-grab,
but for some reason comes out darker.

We wouldn't feel right touching up the shots ourselves - but some
web-sites have obviously lightened the shots up to clarify the image.
Obviously, when you're playing it on the PlayStation, the brightness
is fine! When I post the image files to the binaries group, I'll post
all of them at full res., and try to lighten a couple to the correct
brightness level.

As for price, the PlayStation is now $199 (less than 199 in the UK),
the Mad Katz wheel and pedals are about $70, but I have no idea yet
about the Per4mer wheel. Also available is the NegCon analogue
controller, which twists centrally to simulate a wheel - and is
surprisingly effective. The game price has not been fixed, but it
should be comparable to other PlayStation games.

Sarah

*** Bizarre Creations ***

What's the chance that you will be supporting the Thrustmaster line of
steering wheels for the ump*** PC owners that are going to convert to
the Playstation?

I see.

And when Revs came out, the track record of computer sims was already excellent?

I think not.

And when F1GP came out, it was no big wow, because we already had Indy500?

I think not.

Oh for ALL usenet groups to be moderated....

William