rec.autos.simulators

Psygnosis F1 for Playstation is out!

Randy BO

Psygnosis F1 for Playstation is out!

by Randy BO » Sat, 02 Nov 1996 04:00:00

<< As long as you use a digital controller to drive with (ie NO REPLAY if
you use an analog controller - Mad Catz or NegCon).>>

True -- thankfully the digital pad control is actually the best I've seen
in a racing game.  I still prefer the Mad Catz, but sometimes I  want to
see that replay.  Its a horrible tradeoff due to the limited memory in the
Playstation, but GP2's replay is still an abysmal failure in my view --
having to save on a lap by lap basis is not my idea of fun.
Randy

Julian Anderso

Psygnosis F1 for Playstation is out!

by Julian Anderso » Tue, 05 Nov 1996 04:00:00

I would love to see a Voodoo based version of GP2, but we all know thats
never going to happen. What chance have we for updates and additions, when
the game is NOT even finished in its retail form?

On a different note, I tried Sierras Indycar 2 for Windows95 last night in
search of forfillment. None found, the games graphics are so dated
compared to GP2, I just dont know how you lot love it so much. They have
really got to try again next year, and perhaps with the use of Direct3D or
other hardware devices, can finally get nice graphics, to go along with
its good game play. (Network too would be nice) I really think the market
is there for the taking, there are a lot of pissed off Gp2 owners out
there, who would change camp, for additional features like weather,
network etc.

All points IMHO.
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Eric T. Busc

Psygnosis F1 for Playstation is out!

by Eric T. Busc » Tue, 05 Nov 1996 04:00:00

We already have that in the Rendition Ready version of ICR2 that comes
with the Intergraph Reactor and Sierra Screamin'3D accelerator cards.  
The graphics are so improved over regular version that one could almost
justify calling it ICR3 =)

--

Emory University Graduate School of Arts & Sciences
Nascar Setups Page: http://userwww.service.emory.edu/~ebusch/



Jeff Salzma

Psygnosis F1 for Playstation is out!

by Jeff Salzma » Tue, 05 Nov 1996 04:00:00


>      The N64 is definitely geared towards a younger audience, but
>there are more than a few ***s who've bought them.  (They sold
>350,000 units during the first 3 days of its launch :)).  That aside,
>the N64 will only have a handful of games available for it during the
>next few months, while the Playstation already has dozens upon dozens.
>The N64 is a bit more powerful (or 32 bits more, to be precise),

Uh, did you forget the Silicon Graphics co-processor?? Face it, the
N64 is a major jump ahead. Semiconductor International had an
interview with some guy from SG and he said five years ago this system
would have had enough power to be CLASSIFIED.

Cheaper games?? Yeah right. Just wait until the N64 gobbles up the
market share, then the 'standard' price will be in the mid-$70 US per
game. This has happened before. Plus the annoyance of optics, that
slow CDROM drive, etc. Memory cards, since SONY was too cheap to throw
in a outrageously expensive fifty-cent 64K memory chip....nice idea
there.

Like what?? Williams Arcade?? Descent? Both are TONS slower than my
old 486 DX/4 100...kind of pathetic since the resolution is so bad on
TVs. ANY IBM port will be too slow. Even Demolition Derby has
slow-downs. Ever notice that Playstation games cost a lot more than PC
games?? Why is that??? The box???

Jo

Psygnosis F1 for Playstation is out!

by Jo » Wed, 06 Nov 1996 04:00:00

Thanks to Randy, Anders, Bear, and others for supplying good
information on the Sony Playstation/Psygnosis F1 topics. I went ahead
and got one! I figured it was 1/10 the price of a computer (and after
all, the only reason I need a fast computer is for my games!)... and I
do love it so far. Despite my complaints and concerns below!  F1 is
really a must for anybody who is serious about their racing (esp. F1)
***/simming.

F1 by Psygnosis has spectacualr graphics. No denying that. And as a
sim, it isn't really *bad*, but it isn't GP2. If I could figure out if
there is an option to have mirrors, I'd be a happier about it's
simming. Half of racing is keeping the guys behind you! And if you
have to press a button to look back, that isn't realistic at all. In
GP2, my (and probably your) peripheral vision monitors the mirrors all
the time, and I use that view to judge how hard to be running my
tires, how wide I should take a turn, speed going in versus speed
coming out of a turn... NO MIRRORS IN PSYGNOSIS F1!!!? Please, tell me
I'm wrong!

Second gripe: replays: how the hell do I view a replay! I keep seeing
that this is a feature, but the replay option is always unchoosable in
my menu. I have only done Single Player Single Races so far. Any tips?

And about these freaky memory cartidges- I need a run down on just
what they are all about. First off, what does the cartridge package
mean, "don't repeatedly save and delete on the same slot"- do these
things (memory cartridges) wear out?! Sounded a little like "don't
keep writing to the same RAM address" to me. What gives here? Thanks
for any illuminating thoughts.

Secondly, It appears that part of the Playstation culture (or maybe it
is just psygnosis') is to not really document a product. It is clear
there are a lot of things to this F1 game/sim that need some
clarification (like replays, game saving, etc.). Have any FAQs been
put together yet? A quick check on the net got me nothing.

I  bought the Mad Catz wheel- it is surprisingly good. Maybe it won't
last forever, but it is adequate.

All in all, I am very glad I bought F1, and the Playstation. Blows
away my 486dx4 when I play GP2 on it! Now, is there ever a chance GP2
will come out for playstation!?!? I don't see why it couldn't work on
it, at least in a 30FPS VGA mode. I race at *12* on my 486!

Last and certainly not least- IS there an option to turn off
Satriani/Vai/etc in the menus? In everything?! I am not putting down
the musicians, but I can't take much more of "Juice" or whatever these
songs are. Yes, I already figured out how to get them off while
racing, but even in the menus, it can get tiresome.

Thanks again, guys.

Mark Smi

Psygnosis F1 for Playstation is out!

by Mark Smi » Wed, 06 Nov 1996 04:00:00

You answered your OWN question about replays and didn't even know it.
IF you are using the MAD CATZ (or any other ANAOLG control device) the replay
feature is disabled - don't ask me why - it just is.  Try playing a game with
the standard controll and you will be offered a replay when the race is over!

No mirrors in this game - The over the shoulder view works ONLY if you are on a
straightaway - nothing worse than looking behind you then looking forward to
find yourself hurtling towards the wall at 160mhp.

There is no extensive docs because there is no extensive features.  Everything
you need to know is obvious and laid out in the 3-4 menus provided on screen.
The digital HUD display brightness controls were hard to find but once you do
its easy to change in the future.  A fuel gauge is the only thing I can think of
that would make this game any better.

Rear mirrors would be nice but at the PSX screen resolution anything you saw in
them would be just blobs of pixels.  Sorry about your replays - I almost got the
MAD CATZ until I found that it ate up the replays - those are one of the best
features of the game - especially on the RAINY tracks.


>Thanks to Randy, Anders, Bear, and others for supplying good
>information on the Sony Playstation/Psygnosis F1 topics. I went ahead
>and got one! I figured it was 1/10 the price of a computer (and after
>all, the only reason I need a fast computer is for my games!)... and I
>do love it so far. Despite my complaints and concerns below!  F1 is
>really a must for anybody who is serious about their racing (esp. F1)
>***/simming.

>F1 by Psygnosis has spectacualr graphics. No denying that. And as a
>sim, it isn't really *bad*, but it isn't GP2. If I could figure out if
>there is an option to have mirrors, I'd be a happier about it's
>simming. Half of racing is keeping the guys behind you! And if you
>have to press a button to look back, that isn't realistic at all. In
>GP2, my (and probably your) peripheral vision monitors the mirrors all
>the time, and I use that view to judge how hard to be running my
>tires, how wide I should take a turn, speed going in versus speed
>coming out of a turn... NO MIRRORS IN PSYGNOSIS F1!!!? Please, tell me
>I'm wrong!

>Second gripe: replays: how the hell do I view a replay! I keep seeing
>that this is a feature, but the replay option is always unchoosable in
>my menu. I have only done Single Player Single Races so far. Any tips?

>And about these freaky memory cartidges- I need a run down on just
>what they are all about. First off, what does the cartridge package
>mean, "don't repeatedly save and delete on the same slot"- do these
>things (memory cartridges) wear out?! Sounded a little like "don't
>keep writing to the same RAM address" to me. What gives here? Thanks
>for any illuminating thoughts.

>Secondly, It appears that part of the Playstation culture (or maybe it
>is just psygnosis') is to not really document a product. It is clear
>there are a lot of things to this F1 game/sim that need some
>clarification (like replays, game saving, etc.). Have any FAQs been
>put together yet? A quick check on the net got me nothing.

>I  bought the Mad Catz wheel- it is surprisingly good. Maybe it won't
>last forever, but it is adequate.

>All in all, I am very glad I bought F1, and the Playstation. Blows
>away my 486dx4 when I play GP2 on it! Now, is there ever a chance GP2
>will come out for playstation!?!? I don't see why it couldn't work on
>it, at least in a 30FPS VGA mode. I race at *12* on my 486!

>Last and certainly not least- IS there an option to turn off
>Satriani/Vai/etc in the menus? In everything?! I am not putting down
>the musicians, but I can't take much more of "Juice" or whatever these
>songs are. Yes, I already figured out how to get them off while
>racing, but even in the menus, it can get tiresome.

>Thanks again, guys.

Jo

Psygnosis F1 for Playstation is out!

by Jo » Thu, 07 Nov 1996 04:00:00


>You answered your OWN question about replays and didn't even know it.
>IF you are using the MAD CATZ (or any other ANAOLG control device) the replay
>feature is disabled - don't ask me why - it just is.  Try playing a game with
>the standard controll and you will be offered a replay when the race is over!

This is bizarre. I believe you, though. Maybe the analog control
requires some memory that otherwise would have been available for
replay.

The game claims it supports Mad Catz (etc.)- I don't remember reading
that it only conditionally supports them. How did you find out? Not
having replays is sort of lousy. But then, it wouldn't really matter
too much if there were just mirrors ;>

Not too much fun hurtling in to the car next to you you never saw
creeping up, either. Not having mirrors is pretty serious.

Well, I think there are several cryptic features of the game. And I
think, for example, that a good description of the pit stop options
would be useful. And how fuel, tires, downforce, etc., affect driving
on different tracks. I just disagree with you on this point- I think
there could be a lot more description of what affects what in their
model.

That would be OK- in GP2, at VGA in low mirror detail, that is all I
get too- but it doubles the usefullness of GP2.

Well, I'm still glad I got the Mad Catz. Racing games and sims just
don't feel complete to me without something to steer and pedals.

Psygnosis' F1 certainly is a fun piece of eye candy. It really gives a
great sense of actually being on a track, amidst a crowd, and each
track really has a distinct "local flavor" and feel. But I am not sure
there is the same potential for learning and skill improvement in my
racing that I get from GP2. In GP2, I really feel like I am working on
aspects of driving and aproaching the tracks- in F1, I feel more like
I am being entertained with a sort of  in-car camera view propelled by
a marshmallowy driving model. I think it is going to make a lot of
people, expecially F1 fans, *very* happy- but serious simmers are
going to have a bit of a decision to make whether or not it is worth
it. Particularly if they don't have a playstation to start with.

The analogy that occured to me, (since I own several flight sims)was
that  GP2 is like Microsoft's classic flight simulator (5.x?) as F1 is
to say, Looking Glass' "Flight Unlimited."In a lot of ways, the latter
is far more fun, but when you really want to work on flying skills,
MSFS is more complete.

Thanks for the response

Jo

Psygnosis F1 for Playstation is out!

by Jo » Thu, 07 Nov 1996 04:00:00

BTW, I *did* finally find a good FAQ for Psygnosis' F1. Here is the
address:

http://www.vidgames.com/ps/hints/formulaonefaq.html

Sort of a luxurious feature companies can rely on these days- they
don't have to write manuals, since user write FAQs.  And Psygnosis
certainly didn't write much in their... CD cover/manual.

Great game, though- worth my buying the playstation for!

Hen

Psygnosis F1 for Playstation is out!

by Hen » Thu, 07 Nov 1996 04:00:00



> >We already have that in the Rendition Ready version of ICR2 that comes
> >with the Intergraph Reactor and Sierra Screamin'3D accelerator cards.
> >The graphics are so improved over regular version that one could almost
> >justify calling it ICR3 =)

> Does that include improved graphics on all the tracks? I doubt it.

Your point being ...? Even the non-optimized tracks look gorgeous

to the new and improved tracks.

Speaking of improved graphics, does anybody know if Nascar2 has
hi-color grpahics on ALL the tracks, or just on the tracks that
have been 'redone'?

--
Henrikki (Hena) Hakkanen               Tel. +358-(9)0-345 5538

------- The best way to accelerate a Mac is 9.81 m/s2 --------
--------------------------------------------------------------
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are mine and does not
            necessarily reflect those of my employer!

Anders Gustavsso

Psygnosis F1 for Playstation is out!

by Anders Gustavsso » Thu, 07 Nov 1996 04:00:00



> >No mirrors in this game - The over the shoulder view works ONLY if you are on a
> >straightaway - nothing worse than looking behind you then looking forward to
> >find yourself hurtling towards the wall at 160mhp.

Mirrors would be nice. I agree.

I miss some instruments that give me more control over fuel left, rpm
and that kind of stuff.

Be careful with your rear wing. It is very time consuming to change
during races!

Yes. As said before and as you very well describe bellow, the game is
more a driving experience than a sim, the adjustments possible is,
however,  very important.

True!

/Anders

Craig R.P. Heat

Psygnosis F1 for Playstation is out!

by Craig R.P. Heat » Thu, 07 Nov 1996 04:00:00



> >IF you are using the MAD CATZ (or any other ANAOLG control device) the replay
> >feature is disabled - don't ask me why - it just is.  Try playing a game with
> >the standard controll and you will be offered a replay when the race is over!
> This is bizarre...

<groan>! :-)

Sarah from Bizarre Creations explained this a while ago - replays
work by storing the control inputs, and then "recreating" the race
by replaying the controls (GP2 does it the same way, but apparently
buggily which is why you can get random reality changes).  The
analogue NegCon or Mad Katz controller data takes up more space than
the digital joypad data, and the PlayStation doesn't have enough
memory to store the data for the whole race, hence no replay.

                        - Strobe.

Jo

Psygnosis F1 for Playstation is out!

by Jo » Fri, 08 Nov 1996 04:00:00

Hey guys-

How do you save your progress in a  championship race? I thought I'd
saved it, but I hadn't, first race was wasted.


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