rec.autos.simulators

Hi F1 sims fans,

As i got many EMails since my last posting
concerning our F1 simulation Starting Grid,

here are answers to questions people asked the most:

Q:When the game will be out?
A:The game WILL be out on september (hopefully :-)).

Q:Who is the publisher ?
A:Cannot answer yet cause of non disclosure agreements
  but it's a big one.

Q:Is it a 'console' game ?
A:Not at all,this is a F1 sim which is particulary aimed
  at the PC market (althrough there will be some options
  in the game to make it playable to beginners).

Q:What hardware config will be necessary to run the
  game at an acceptable frame rate?
A:
  Minimum:
    P75
    8MB
  Very Good: (20fps VGA full textures)
    P120/133
    8/16 MB
  Best: (20fps SVGA full textures) (30fps VGA full textures)
    P166
    16MB

Q:What about network play?
A:Currently we work on serial/modem/parallel/IPX
  You'll be able to play 2 to 6 at the same time
  over a local IPX network, plus we'll probably
  have an upgrade with TCP/IP support.

Q:What season is in the game?
A:The 1996 champ.

Q:Is there a paintkit ?
A:Currently you can paint your car from the menus
  and we are trying to have an helmet paint kit
  in the final version.

Q:Are wheels supported?
A:yes, we currently support 3 differents wheels.

Q:Will the display support 3D accelerators?
A:Yes and No, i cannot give the names but
  several 3D chips could make it in the
  initial release or will be used in
  special versions, but as these chips
  are not widely avaible it is hard for
  us to tell more about it now.

Q:Is the game WIN95 or DOS?
A:Both.

Other infos that might be of interest:
--------------------------------------
Many people made comments on the pictures they
saw on our Website (www.visiware.com):

The pics you can see there are 2 months old
and trust me the visuals have improved a lot
since then (the cars in particulary).

So we will update the pics and post videos
(mpg/avi) as soon as we can (i'll post here to
inform you, or watch our site a the end of the week).

Do not hesitate to email me any other questions,
as we are very intested by any constructive
comments/requests users can have.

Nicolas Eypert/Visiware France
developer on starting grid.

Or

www.visiware.com

Thanks for reading.

Thank for informing us Nicolas.

At least someone is learning from MP's mistakes:

1- Informing your users
2- Using the latest season's setup
3- 3D acc. chipset usage

We're looking forward to seeing your F1 sim.

(let me know if you need a beta tester :-))

Best regards,

Danny Brands

BTW, a few more questions:

Will it have weather effects (ie wet races?) It's the 1996 season, so I
presume it has Melbourne rather than Adelaide, yes? Will it have a parade
lap and a pace car? Will it have good replay features (I like the replay
in ICR2)? Will the drivers have individual characteristics (eg
agressiveness, speed, overtaking skill etc)? Do we drive as one of the
real drivers, or make up our own team?

Thanks for keeping us updated.

Julian
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                                University of Oxford