| I know I'll probably get flamed for posting this here but F1 for Sony
| Playstation is incredible. 30fps, Murry Walker, All actual tracks
| including the Nurburgring, all teams and drivers from '95, and you can
| race in the RAIN!!!!.
I agree with you, 100%. And you probably will get flamed; I too am a
GP2 fan, but I tell you, people here don't want to hear that there is
another F1 masterpiece out there. I can't figure out why, especially
since it is a completely different approach. People simply need both.
| I love GP2, but I can play this game on my 61" big screen with Dolby
| Pro-Logic Surround Sound.
I only have a 21 inch mono TV, but it still is hard to go back to
playing on my computer. Even with Nintendo64 out, I had to buy a
playstation, just to be able to have this sim for myself.
| I have also noticed a difference in the realism of tracks that gives
| the advantage to the Playstation. Hokenhiem for example has a
| spectacular elevation change on the second set of turns which is
| acurate if you watch the races. There is no elevation change at this
| turn in GP2. Plus racing in the wet is great. Rooster tails from
| cars ahead of you look pretty realistic and its slick as Hell. I
| turned a 1:58:?? at Hokenhiem and im getting faster every day.
Not to mention that we have *17* tracks here, including Adelaide. I
raced there for the first time last night; it is a very fun course,
too bad it is gone... but then, I also loved Hungary...
Whether or not people want to hear it, it is true: Psygnosis' F1 got
the tracks right, and they are an order of magnitude improvement over
anything on the market. I can't figure out how they did it so well,
and so fast; if you run well off the track, in to the grass, you can
see some of their tricks; lots of warping, lots of weird perspectives.
But anywhere on the track, and you are *there*. Amazing.
But for anybody else interested in obtaining it: you need to know that
it simply isn't the same sort of sim as a GP2 or ICR2 or NASCAR, and
it took me about a week to really get in tune with. This sim isn't
about configurability, there is little attempt at simulating the range
of configurable aspects in a car. Of course, a *driving* sim doesn't
have to be about that- it is simply the aspect of auto sims that the
market has always emphasized. OTOH, this sim, unlike GP2, actually has
different driving models for the different makes of car.
This sim decides that instead of the usual sim approach of making you
chief engineer/manager/pit crew AND pilot, you are really only the
pilot, with very, very few and basic decisions to make regarding the
car. All the emphais is in visual perfection of the tracks and
accurate car handling. People complain that there "are no crashes"-
that is not a real problem for me, I am interested in racing, and
open-wheel *racing* isn't about "crashing", and if you want crashes,
buy their other product, their *game*, Destruction Derby. I'm glad
they left crashes out, if it means that is how the got the incredible
graphics speed.
Bigest problems: no damn mirrors. No damn fuel gauge. No***pit in
general- this sim was designed to simulate *exactly*, down to the Tag
Huer splits, what you see on T.V. Also, while their AI *drives*
beautifully, it doesn't *race* well; they push you around, won't yield
the line at all... it is as if they know they can't wreck! So they
muscle you around too much.
But, OTOH, I've had plenty of races where for a dozen laps I've
waited for a mistake, usually because of traffic, to finally pass
someone, and it is quite intense, quite fufilling when you do. The
mistakes these AI guys make are tiny; you really have to be completely
on top of them. It ends up being almost identical to what we see when
we watch F1 on TV. People call it a "procession", "boring", but you
sure see it from a different angle when you are doing it in this sim.
| Alphie
| Yes it's a little arcadey but I love Formula 1 and I think it is a
| great supplement to a gamers sim collection.
Actually, I generally disagree with the "arcadey" comments I hear. It
is an exact simulation of what you see when you watch a race, with the
commentary, crowd sounds, etc. If they wanted it to be an arcade hit,
it would have crashes, spectacular crashes, just like Psygnosis puts
in DD. People looking for "ridge racer" or the like are universally
dissapointed in this sim; the car handling is "too real" car, the
racing, as in real F1, often lonely and fantastically frustrating if
you aren't driving perfectly. One mistake, and you simply never see
another car for the next 10 minutes,a t least on "Hard" setting. Fact
is, I gave up on hard- I am now working though a season at "Medium"
with my downforce on minimum, in Irvine's car... if you do a perfect
lap, you can generally compete with the leader. Any fumbling, and he
slips hopelessly away... I think it is really improving my driving. I
simply have to take every turn absolutely perfectly, or I am fighting
to even stay in the top 6.
