rec.autos.simulators

We will get an authentic 1910 Ford T (flame me if it doesn't fit with
the time period) racing game! Or how about a Roman chariot racing sim?
"You can customise you chariots by adding wheel spikes to attack other
chariots, buy a longer whip to get rid of the adversaries, etc. When you
loose, fear for your life a you will be feed to the lions at the
coliseum..." What will they think of next? Sorry, I'm a bit tired right
now.

What type of racing wasn't done yet? Your opinion (seriously).

Philster

Here in the US we have a rich tradition of road racing which began just
after the turn of the century (where did we go wrong!). In Savannah,
Goergia, beginning in 1908 and ending in 1911, there was a 17.1 mile road
course, in Long Island, New York, a 30.24 mile track run from 1904 to 1910.
In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a 7.88 mile circuit used only once in 1912, and
here in Santa Monica, California, an 8.4 mile course used for more than 10
years beginning in 1909. All were made up of city streets. The races were
showcases for the manufacturers of the time, Franklin, Peerless, Thomas
Flyer, Rambler, Chalmers-Detroit, Studebaker, Cadillac, Locomobile, Buick,
Maxwell, Pope-Hartford, Fiat, Isotta, Reo, Marmon and many others.

A racing sim of the early days of the automobile would have very limited
appeal, but I for one would jump at the chance to challange Barney Oldfield
for the Vanderbilt Cup<g>

don

[|]-(_)-[|]

90's--Rally cars with real physics
80's--F1 Turbos --Yeah!
70's--Can Am: monster motors, fat tires and big wings-- What more could you
need?
60's--Targa Florio: basically  lap around Sicily in a Sports Racing car--
gimme a 904
50's-- Indy -the Roadsters--the Classics
40's--Tank Races!! aka E.Rommel Desert Racing
30's--Bentley Boys at LeMans-- High Tea at midnight
20's--Motorcycle Racing on board tracks-Side valves vs t-heads
10's--Parisian Taxicab races to the Marne-Dodge the shellhole!!
00's--Strange semi agricultural devices endeavour to make it to next town
without setting countryside alight
90's --Locomotive racing

David

Sidecars?
A proper Isle of Mann TT sim?
Late 60's sports car racing (Minis, Lotus Cortinas, Alfas, A Ford Falcon
or Mustang for contrast)?

Stephen

: We will get an authentic 1910 Ford T (flame me if it doesn't fit with
: the time period) racing game! Or how about a Roman chariot racing sim?
: "You can customise you chariots by adding wheel spikes to attack other
: chariots, buy a longer whip to get rid of the adversaries, etc. When you
: loose, fear for your life a you will be feed to the lions at the
: coliseum..." What will they think of next? Sorry, I'm a bit tired right
: now.

: What type of racing wasn't done yet? Your opinion (seriously).

: Philster

: We will get an authentic 1910 Ford T (flame me if it doesn't fit with
: the time period) racing game! Or how about a Roman chariot racing sim?
: "You can customise you chariots by adding wheel spikes to attack other
: chariots, buy a longer whip to get rid of the adversaries, etc. When you
: loose, fear for your life a you will be feed to the lions at the
: coliseum..." What will they think of next? Sorry, I'm a bit tired right
: now.

Not such a bad idea.  Star Wars Pod Racer is really just Ben Hur on speed.
By the way, who didn't like the different engine sounds in that sequence?
I swear there is an F1 car mixed in there somewhere, but I still like the
Thub-Dub-Dub-Dub sound of the "bad guy's" racer - rather like a big fat
muscle car.

Stephen

That was an audio treat like no other. And your right. There were certainly
F1 sounds mixed in. A lot of other stuff too. I love that scene. It could
only have been done by a true racing fan and surely must appeal to all
racing fans alike. The Thru-Dub-Dub-Dub is my favorite too.

The dead silence when Anakin is forced up the escape ramp....

That scene was as exciting as a real race. Great work!

--
Mark Jeangerard
www.soundchaserweb.com
New Mexico USA

racing real cars, like a bmw m3 and a audi a4, etc..etc...
Sort of like SCGT, except the cars are production cars.
and then in tournament mode you would get money, then buy upgrades, like
headers, turbocharged, intake, etc...
combine that with midtown madness and you've got yourself a real winner...

I had the chance to hear a presention by Ben Burtt, main sound-designer on
SW : Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace, and it was incredible the sheer depth
of audio mixing in the movie.  I've read a lot about the movie production,
since Im a SW geek fan (no shame to that eh) and the research the department
did for sound editing was remarkable.  For those who don't know, Burtt was
also the main sound designer for all the original Star Wars trilogy and the
Indiana Jones trilogy, and even won a Special Achievement Award at the
Oscars for his work.  It is because of him that many sounds from those
movies have become popular icon, from R2-D2's sounds to Lightsaber clashes
to Chewie's growl.

He spent more than 3 years working on the movie and two years alone for the
Pod race sequence, using a sample database he has recorded during the last
decade, since Ben really loves to travel all-around the world to ***
places.  He has great  talent.  The movies sound so *** but at the same
time so similar to our real-world.

Per example, one incredible thing in TPM is the sound of Darth Maul's
lightsaber.  It is very distinct from any lightsabers in the movies.  It has
a very loud bass and almost sounds like a buzz-saw, creating a more
dangerous and *** effect to the audience.  He is evil, from his gestures
to the sound of his lightsaber.  It really goes "that" far.

The Pod Race sequence is a masterpiece of visual cinematography and also a
stunning piece of sound effects.  The movie has the assurance of winning
both Oscars in both Best Sound and Best Effects, Sound effects editing.
Each pod race (18 in total) had a distinct engine sound.  You can really
hear this when they "start their engines".  The rumble of each Pod racer at
the start; there is a nice scene where you see one of the podracer blip his
throttle with his hand like on a motorcycle (bunny-looking alien).  You also
have Sebulba with his "Dub-dub-dub-dub" engine sound like you said, but also
Anakin and his F1-alike engine sound, or others like Gasgano and his
double-tone engine.  George really wanted that.  In fact Ben went to the
Willows Race Track in Carolina to tape engine sounds, and also he recorded
boat engines and helicopters.  The complexity of the Pod sequence is also
amplified by the quickness of the shots.  It was difficult for them to
create a fade-in/fade out.  Instead they recorded a bunch of transitional
gear sounds that stand out in a quick shot.  Btw most of the crowd noise
were recorded from a SF Giants Baseball game :)

One of the most known sound effect in TPM is the Battle Tanks in the green
hills coming to battle the Gungans at the end of the movie.  Ben used an
electric razor inside a frying pan and recorded it digitally to create the
final sound.  Sometimes the simple methods give the best results ! :)

I finally suggest to any SW fan to get the Star Wars : Episode 1
Encyclopedia.  It is a 2-CD encyclopedia on about everything in the movie -
and more.  It is so deep you will pass days without even getting back to
something you have read.  Great software if you want to know more about the
movie production and some tidbits about the sound editing during the pod
race.

--
-- Fran?ois Mnard <ymenard>
-- May the Downforce be with you...

"People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don't realise
how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world."

Just be glad he's not trying to put it in yours...

Thanks Bruce it's an honor and I take such words with high pride.  I've
quite mastered, even if not perfectly, the subtleties and idioms of the
English language, and use it in real-life as often as French for education
reasons (McGill University).  <bows and says "Ni!!!!">

Now if I could only find time to race in HMRC for Mexico :(

--
-- Fran?ois Mnard <ymenard>
-- May the Downforce be with you...