F1 Challenge '99-'02

ISI/EA · released 2003 · discussed in 2,261 posts, 2003-2009 · overall tone positive

Posts per month

Timeline

2003-02-19 EA announced a new F1 title built on its 1999-2002 licences: F1 Challenge '99-'02 on PC and F1 Career Challenge on consoles. thread post post
2003-06-22 EA's F1 Challenge '99-'02, developed by ISI, was released on PC. post post
2003-10-05 A beta of the V8 Supercars mod for F1 Challenge '99-'02 was released. post
2003-10-31 The ETCC 2003 mod for F1 Challenge '99-'02 was released. post
2003-12-24 The DTM 2002 mod for F1 Challenge '99-'02 was released. post post
2004-06-09 EA was reported to have declined its F1 licence option, citing cost and a lack of artistic freedom. post
2004-06-16 RSR released the ETCC Evolution mod for F1 Challenge '99-'02. thread
2004-10-25 NASCAR Racing 2003 Season and F1 Challenge '99-'02 were reported discontinued at retail. post
2005-10-12 CREW released its F1 Seven 1970s Formula One mod for F1 Challenge 99-02. thread post
2005-12-03 CTDP released its 2005 season mod for F1 Challenge 99-02. post

Key threads

Project Wildfire Trans-Am mod release and realism debate 2004-02-29 · 192 posts
Following the release of Project Wildfire's long-awaited Trans-Am mod for NR2003, users asked how it differed from TPTCC, since both used Papyrus's Trans-Am physics. It became a long debate: Jan Verschueren and Mitch_A criticised the stock-car basis and argued ISI's sims had better physics, while JnPrather and FCYTravis explained that real Trans-Am cars are tube-frame cars close to stock cars and defended NR2003's online play. The thread later grew personal between some posters.
Future of Papyrus NASCAR sims and Papyrus versus ISI physics 2003-11-03 · 86 posts
Rich worried about rumours that EA might take over NASCAR sims on PC and asked whether NR2003 would remain the best ever. Posters debated Papyrus's physics against ISI's engine used in EA's titles, with Jason Moyer and Ashley McConnell explaining the difference between Papyrus's surface-based track model and polygon-based track collision. Others noted Doug Arnao had tuned EA's car parameters, and the thread later drifted into car talk and insults.
Missing Papyrus NASCAR sims and debating GPL vs NR2003 2004-01-05 · 52 posts
A lament about no longer waiting for new Papyrus NASCAR titles led to a rumour of a Papyrus 2004 release, which was doubted because EA had the NASCAR licence. The thread became a wide-ranging debate over whether NR2003's physics beat GPL's for road racing, unrealistic track grip values in add-on tracks, and whether ISI could match Papyrus. Posters also listed unlicensed series they would like simulated, such as Can-Am, ALMS and Grand-Am prototypes.
Camber and tyre temperatures in sim setups 2003-08-18 · 35 posts
Neil Charlton asked why fast sim setups produce uneven tyre temperatures when theory says they should be even. Greger Huttu, Magnus Svensson and others explained that in ISI's F1 Challenge large negative camber is 'king', with inner edges running hotter, while GPL lacks dynamic camber and Papyrus sims reward smaller differences. The debate extended into camber thrust, a Bridgestone interview, and ISI tyre file parameters, with Steve Smith arguing ISI's camber modelling was unrealistic.
Early impressions of F1 Challenge 99-02 2003-06-23 · 44 posts
Early players reported that F1 Challenge 99-02 had much better netcode than F1 2002, though joining players still paused sessions. Most of the thread argued over the inaccuracy of ISI's track models, with Jason Moyer posting comparisons with Grand Prix 4 and claims that EA would not let ISI redo them. Copyright limits on converting tracks from other games were also discussed.
Is 2003 a golden age for sim racers? 2003-08-15 · 43 posts
Vennt argued that F1 Challenge, Live for Speed, netKar and NR2003 with Trans Am physics made it a great time for sim racers, while others still wished for GPL2, a CART sim or an Aussie V8 sim. Larry objected to Live for Speed's product activation, and the thread drifted into PC versus console gaming. News that LucasArts had cancelled Full Throttle: Hell on Wheels sparked discussion about publishers' motives.
CREW F1 Seven 1970s mod for F1 Challenge, plus off-topic spat 2005-10-12 · 40 posts
A poster praised the CREW mod recreating mid-1970s Formula One for EA's F1 Challenge 99-02, a 500MB download including some period tracks. Jason Moyer criticised the mod's non-standard menu structure, drawing rebukes, and the thread then derailed into anti-French jokes, a troll's abuse and an apology from Jeff Reid. A possible rFactor conversion was mentioned.
Why the demand for F1 sims, and why slow cars appeal 2005-04-26 · 35 posts
Dave Henrie asked why people kept demanding new F1 sims when there had been many. Answers included the lack of a good online F1 sim since F1 Challenge, and David G Fisher's preference for modern high-performance cars. Others countered that older or slower cars are more fun and forgiving. The thread touched on rFactor's improved feel over earlier ISI titles and Larry's dislike of the ISI 'floating' feel.
F1 Challenge tweak: disable moving steering wheel setting 2003-07-02 · 31 posts
Richard Beckett found that setting 'Moving Steering Wheel' to 0 in the F1 Challenge 99-02 player file seemed to remove control lag, and many reported a big improvement, though others noticed no difference. Jan Verschueren added that Logitech users should invert the rumble strip and jolt force feedback signs, sparking a discussion of how ISI implements kerb forces.
First impressions of the GTR demo's Spa 2004-04-29 · 29 posts
Jason Moyer praised the GTR demo's Spa as far more convincing than ISI's F1 Challenge version, and David G Fisher argued that GTR's quality rested on F1C's foundation. Steve Smith said it felt more like a real race car than anything he had driven indoors but had very quiet tyre sounds. Posters discussed SimBin encrypting its content and hoped its multiplayer would support 30-car fields.
ETCC Evolution mod for F1 Challenge released 2004-06-16 · 25 posts
Dave Henrie announced the release of RSR's ETCC Evolution mod for F1 Challenge, with launcher additions, physics tweaks and graphics updates. Most of the thread dealt with slow downloads, BitTorrent availability for this and the SCC ALMS mod, and whether BitTorrent clients contained spyware.
ISI programmer describes improved F1 Challenge netcode 2003-05-12 · 24 posts
Damien Smith relayed forum posts by ISI programmer Baker saying the netcode in the upcoming F1 Challenge 99-02 was far better than in earlier ISI titles, though multiplayer AI had not made it in and the FIA did not allow dedicated servers. Some doubted he was genuine until mod developers vouched for him. The debate focused on whether AI cars in LAN races mattered.
Anthony Davidson's F1C Nordschleife lap in Autosport 2004-06-04 · 22 posts
A poster reported that Autosport featured BAR driver Anthony Davidson lapping the Nordschleife in F1 Challenge in 5:50.4 and set out to beat it. Others said many sim racers had already done mid-5:40s, and explained the various Nordschleife conversions (SimBin, Kvako, ETCC) and how to install them, sharing lap times in different mods.
F1 Challenge 99-02 developer interview and multiplayer guide 2003-06-18 · 21 posts
Jeff Murchison, a beta tester, posted an interview with the makers of F1 Challenge 99-02 and a multiplayer guide ahead of its release, promising much better online grids. Douglas Ellison doubted the netcode claims after previous EA F1 titles, which drew rebuttals from other beta testers. Steve Smith said the underlying code would greatly help modders.
Planning the first RASF1 race at Hockenheim 2003-07-30 · 78 posts
Nick organised details for the first RASF1 race in F1 Challenge 99-02 at Hockenheim, covering race length, aids and the F1rst connection client. Members debated banning stability control, tyre and fuel multipliers and dry weather, compared lap times, swapped controller and setup tips and sorted out confusion over the race day.
RASF1 Sepang race, warping and driving aids 2003-09-18 · 77 posts
Before the RAS F1 Challenge race at Sepang, Haqsau proposed not passing into the first two turns on lap one. Afterwards Eldred complained of again being taken out, this time by Ian P while being lapped, and the replays suggested a warp collision caused by poor netcode. Debate followed about whether stability control and other aids should be banned, and how F1 Challenge resolves collisions.
F1 Challenge setups and lap times at Sepang 2004-03-11 · 65 posts
Stuart Becktell asked for help with understeer at Malaysia in F1 Challenge, and drivers shared diff, damper and driving-line advice plus times from 1:34 to 1:46. Ian P posted his setup and replay, and Haqsau recommended comparing telemetry with faster drivers. Eldred's slow lap times led to a long diagnosis of his ageing PC and motherboard.
RASF1 test server and car claims in F1 Challenge 2003-07-08 · 55 posts
EldredP hosted an F1 Challenge 99-02 test server for a proposed RAS F1 league. Testers found the netcode decent but noted pauses, a speed bug, a server crash and EXE mismatch warnings caused by different no-CD patches. Members then began claiming specific cars and drivers.
Troubleshooting stutter and missing features in F1 Challenge 2003-06-27 · 46 posts
Haqsau found F1 Challenge 99-02 a step backwards, with stuttering, no racing groove, no reference laps and a quiet traction control sound. Suggestions included turning off Vsync, the skybox setting and background software; Haqsau eventually traced most of the stutter to monitoring and antivirus programs. The thread also debated whether reinstalling ever fixes anything.
Rescheduling RASF1 Imola and setup sharing 2004-04-26 · 43 posts
Ped Xing proposed rerunning the RASF1 Imola race. David G Fisher offered a 1:21 setup and Jan Verschueren gave wing advice, while Uwe Schuerkamp suggested using GTR2002 tyre squeal sounds for better feedback in F1 Challenge. Side topics included Stuart Becktell's autocross and plans for Barber Dodge, Eldred's slow PC, and how Alex Zanardi controls his race car.
Aussie V8 at Bathurst in F1 Challenge and wished-for sims 2003-10-05 · 38 posts
Jason Moyer posted a screenshot of an Australian V8 mod at Bathurst for F1 Challenge for Goy Larsen, though he rated the car and track poorly. Discussion covered ISI track modelling flaws, wish-list historic touring car and Indy 500 sims, and Papyrus's history with Electronic Arts and Virgin. Pete recalled visiting Papyrus and how Charlie Heath secretly included networking code in NASCAR Racing 1.
Which racing sims should be in every collection 2003-10-17 · 38 posts
Rich listed his mostly arcade and older Papyrus titles and asked what to add. The consensus was Grand Prix Legends, F1 Challenge 99-02 and NR2003, with Live for Speed, netKar, NASCAR Heat and Ratbag's dirt racing games also suggested. A dispute over whether Live for Speed is arcade-like gave way to discussion of motorcycle games and real motorcycle safety.
Finding the McLaren mod for F1C and a BitTorrent dispute 2004-04-24 · 37 posts
Mitch_A struggled to download the ORSPG McLaren mod for F1 Challenge and wished it were on BitTorrent. Eldred, a university network admin, explained that BitTorrent's forced sharing caused DMCA complaints on his campus, which led to a heated argument with Mitch_A, Damien Evans and PigDog. Mitch eventually got the mod via a binaries newsgroup.
Restarting the RASF1 league for the 2004 season 2004-03-04 · 35 posts
With the real F1 season opening, Darryl Johnson asked whether RASF1 would race Melbourne in F1 Challenge. Eldred agreed to host on Sundays at noon Eastern with the default 2002 season, since he could not get mods working on his server. Drivers swapped setups and advice on X-axis sensitivity and steering lock, and Eldred struggled with frame rate and control.
Best $200 upgrade for F1 Challenge mods 2004-04-22 · 35 posts
Martin Granberg (Rudeboy) asked whether to upgrade his CPU, GPU or RAM to improve F1 Challenge mod frame rates. Advice was split between a Radeon 9800 Pro and a faster Barton CPU. After buying the 9800 Pro he saw little gain, and others suggested driver cleanup, AGP settings and checking CPU load, while Eldred found his own CPU pegged at 100%.
RASF1 league driver and car sign-ups 2003-07-10 · 34 posts
Ped Xing compiled a sign-up list assigning RAS members to 2002 F1 drivers for the new RASF1 league and set up a web page for it. Discussion covered duplicate car requests, the 22-car limit and when to schedule races across time zones.
RASF1 Australian GP race report and damage settings 2003-09-07 · 33 posts
RAS F1 Challenge league drivers recounted a chaotic Melbourne race with a start-line pileup and wings everywhere, and suggested reducing damage to 30–40%. Wing settings and launch technique were compared. Eldred described the trouble of hosting without a dedicated server option in F1 Challenge, and others proposed workarounds for removing the server car from the grid.
Details of GPL Boxing Day and New Year races 2003-12-24 · 31 posts
Eldred posted details of full-length GPL races at Watkins Glen on Boxing Day and Rouen on New Year's Day on his server. He was disappointed by the Boxing Day turnout, and the discussion moved to using the Sunday F1 slot for ETCC or the new DTM mod for F1 Challenge, with mixed reports on the DTM installer.
Front wheel lifting problems in F1 Challenge 2003-06-30 · 30 posts
Haqsau and others found that the inside front wheel in F1 Challenge 99-02 lifted and locked at the slightest provocation. Suggestions included controller lag, more front-biased setups, softer rear anti-roll bars and checking brake pedal calibration. Confusion arose because Steve Smith was referring to the NR2003 patch, though he said an F1C patch would eventually address some issues.
Low turnout for RASF1 F1 Challenge league race 2003-11-30 · 30 posts
EldredP opened the RASF1 server for an F1 Challenge race at 40% distance, but only three drivers showed up. Participants blamed the holidays and race times, and some suggested switching to the ETCC or TPTCC touring car mods to attract a bigger and closer field, while David G Fisher and Neil Charlton praised their tight F1 battle. The thread also drifted into GPL graphics add-ons, which Eldred admitted he had never installed.
F1 Challenge 99-02 becomes hard to find 2004-04-14 · 29 posts
Nathantw complained that F1 Challenge 99-02 had vanished from stores, and others shared where they had found copies. Tiny Lund noted EA had lost the F1 licence to Sony and admitted buying up cheap copies to resell on eBay, which drew angry criticism. Eldred and Steve Smith discussed whether copying out-of-print games could be justified.
Sealed F1 Challenge copy offered for sale 2004-04-29 · 28 posts
Rich offered an unopened F1 Challenge 99-02 to the highest bidder in the group rather than on eBay. Others questioned the secrecy of the bidding and noted that out-of-print copies sold for high prices on eBay. The thread degenerated into name-calling between Rich, JP and Andrew.
F1 2002 owner disappointed by F1 Challenge 99-02 handling 2003-08-11 · 27 posts
A fan of EA's F1 2002 bought F1 Challenge 99-02 cheaply and found it harder to drive. Others said F1C's physics were more realistic and rewarded proper setups, and Mitch_A gained several seconds after following Heppie's setup guide and using a shared setup. Links to setup guides and Doug Arnao's GTR physics guide were shared.
Proposal for a RAS touring car series after F1 season 2003-12-21 · 27 posts
Haqsau proposed a RAS touring car series for NR2003 in January, in the Sunday noon slot left by the finished RASF1 F1 Challenge schedule. Many drivers signed up, but others noted that RASCAR was about to run a Trans-Am mod on road courses and suggested joining it instead. David G Fisher and Neil Charlton said they wanted to keep running F1 cars as well.
RAS ETCC race at Interlagos and next track choice 2003-12-28 · 26 posts
Neil Charlton organised a 40% ETCC mod race in F1 Challenge in place of the usual RASF1 race, which David G Fisher won with nearly double the usual field. Drivers then discussed future tracks, settling on Le Mans because it could be downloaded automatically through F1RST, while Road Atlanta could not be hosted. Haqsau described an ATI graphics bug that kept him out.
RASF1 Suzuka race, server car mishaps and invulnerability 2003-10-12 · 26 posts
Eldred vented after his server car rolled forward and earned him a jump-start penalty at the RAS F1 Challenge Suzuka race. Haqsau complained he was punted out of the map while the other car was unharmed, and Josh Boudreau admitted he had the invulnerability aid on because the server allowed it. The lack of a dedicated server in F1 Challenge and inconsistent damage were blamed.
Complaints about poor AI and online wreckers 2006-10-27 · 26 posts
Crispy Critter complained that AI in every racing game wrecked him, citing F1 Challenge 99-02. Others discussed online wreckers, short races and policing via banned CD keys, and the thread grew snippy.
Planning RASF1 league rules and format 2003-07-10 · 26 posts
Nick raised questions for the new RASF1 league: roster size, mixing seasons, schedule, setups and driving aids. Replies proposed following the real calendar, allowing open setups and limited aids such as traction control and auto-shifting. A side discussion covered the history of traction control in F1.
RAS ETCC race at Laguna Seca 2004-01-23 · 25 posts
ETCC drivers struggled with heavy front tyre wear at Laguna Seca in the F1 Challenge mod and were confused by the LCD display. Neil Charlton could not host, so Spudster ran the race and opened it to the wider F1RST community, and drivers shared tips on pit strategy and fuel settings. Eldred had trouble downloading the mod.
Wish list for future historic racing mods 2004-01-30 · 25 posts
Timmy Ferrell asked modders for factory-body stock cars on NR2003 physics and 1930s-50s Grand Prix cars for F1 Challenge. J.D. Ellis and Dave Henrie pointed to The Pits' Stock Car Legends-style project on the truck physics, and others wished for an ARCA mod with dirt tracks, early Can-Am, late-1950s sports cars and 24-hour endurance racing. Steve Smith and Jason Moyer swapped Can-Am anecdotes.

Busiest threads

Project Wildfire Trans-Am mod release and realism debate (30 posts about it)
F1 Challenge tweak: disable moving steering wheel setting (18 posts about it)
Troubleshooting stutter and missing features in F1 Challenge (18 posts about it)
RASF1 Sepang race, warping and driving aids (16 posts about it)
First impressions of the GTR demo's Spa (13 posts about it)
Future of Papyrus NASCAR sims and Papyrus versus ISI physics (13 posts about it)
Debating GTR and rFactor physics against Papyrus (12 posts about it)
Front wheel lifting problems in F1 Challenge (12 posts about it)
Early impressions of F1 Challenge 99-02 (12 posts about it)
Anthony Davidson's F1C Nordschleife lap in Autosport (11 posts about it)
Planning the first RASF1 race at Hockenheim (11 posts about it)
Saving in f1c (11 posts about it)
F1C - Trying to Like It - Please Help (10 posts about it)
Defending F1 Challenge physics and setup work (10 posts about it)
Porting F1 2002 mods and tracks to F1 Challenge (10 posts about it)

Sentiment by year

Each post that discussed the sim was rated from −2 (very negative) to +2 (very positive).

Year	Posts	Positive	Negative	Tone
2003	1,041	276	113	positive (+0.22)
2004	841	200	74	positive (+0.20)
2005	302	65	38	mixed (+0.13)
2006	54	15	6	positive (+0.26)
2007	7	2	2	mixed (+0.00)
2008	10	5	0	positive (+0.50)
2009	6	2	2	mixed (+0.17)