Posts per month
Timeline
- 1993-12-10 Papyrus' IndyCar Racing patch v1.02 (ICR102.ZIP) became available via ftp. post
- 1994-01-24 America Online announced IndyCar Racing and World Circuit simulation series open to internet entrants by email. post post
- 1994-02-12 A new anonymous FTP archive opened with IndyCar Racing and F1GP patches, editors and league files. post
- 1994-03-04 Papyrus' president apologised for the delayed IndyCar Racing modem patch and said it was the company's top priority. post
- 1994-03-12 Hyper Stimulator showed its Indy-F1 Clubman cockpit for IndyCar Racing and F1GP at the Melbourne Motor Show, priced at A$1495. post
- 1994-03-22 IndyCar Racing won the SPA Codie award for Best Sports Program. post
- 1994-04-05 Papyrus released the IndyCar Racing 1.04 patch, which enabled two-player modem play. post post
- 1994-04-14 AOL announced the IndyCar Challenge Cup, an equal-setup IndyCar Racing online series. post
- 1994-04-22 The European IndyCar Racing 1.04e patch became available on Papyrus' FTP site. post post
- 1994-05-08 Papyrus confirmed two IndyCar Racing expansion packs: a seven-track pack and a pack with Indianapolis and a paint kit. post post
- 1994-05-25 Papyrus shipped the IndyCar Racing add-on track packs, which updated the game to version 1.05. post post post
- 1994-05-30 Papyrus released fix files for an endless yellow-flag bug at Indianapolis in the IndyCar Racing expansion. post post
- 1994-06-27 The ICRNAS paint set, repainting IndyCar Racing cars as 1994 NASCAR entries, was released. post post
- 1994-07-24 ICRNAS, an internet NASCAR-style series run in IndyCar Racing, opened its six-race season. post post
- 1994-08-05 The IndyCar Racing track pack was released in the UK, with the Indianapolis pack sold separately by direct order. post post post
- 1994-08-10 A new internet IndyCar Racing series (DeepCove/IndyCar Racing Group) was announced with Papyrus-supplied prizes. post
- 1994-10-13 The Internet IndyCar Championship (IICC) for IndyCar Racing was announced, later split into IICC and IICC Lites divisions. post post
- 1994-11-22 The ICR Fast Laps list went online with an automated e-mail submission server. post
- 1995-03-19 The ICRS'95 online IndyCar Racing series held its first race, using a fan-made 1995 car set. post post
- 1995-05-27 The Internet IndyCar Championship (IICC) finished its first seven-month season, and IICC2 began in June. post post
- 1996-04-12 Papyrus warned that posting or downloading the pirated Indianapolis Motor Speedway track pack was illegal. thread post
- 1996-05-14 Papyrus stopped selling the Indianapolis track pack for IndyCar Racing after it sold out. post thread
Key threads
- IndyCar Racing speeds versus real Road America telemetry 1994-09-12 · 54 postsAfter watching real telemetry from Road America (Elkhart Lake), a player asked why IndyCar Racing cars could not match real top speeds and corner speeds; others agreed sim top speeds were around 20 mph low on road courses and oval corner speeds too high, though practice brought lap times close to reality. The thread grew into a bug list and wish list for future Papyrus titles (rev limiter, yellow-flag behaviour, side views, remappable keys), discussion of trail braking and keyboard driving, nostalgia for Revs on the BBC Micro, and complaints that Papyrus was unresponsive to bug reports, which others defended as a small company busy with NASCAR.
- F1GP versus IndyCar Racing: game or simulation? 1995-10-24 · 46 postsA claim that F1GP was still the best driving sim set off a long debate. F1GP fans praised its atmosphere, editors, wet races and keyboard playability, while IndyCar Racing supporters argued its physics and detailed setups were far more realistic and that F1GP was arcade-like. Participants also argued over whether simplified car setup suits a 'driver's' sim, citing Geoff Crammond's view that the player is a driver rather than an engineer.
- Argument over sharing car setups in Papyrus sims 1995-06-18 · 78 postsA player complained that fast drivers refused to share setups. Ralf Southard and league racers argued setups take great effort and often do not transfer between drivers because of differing styles, citing tests where borrowed setups were slower. Grant Aldrich insisted driving style was irrelevant and responded with insults and abusive messages, prompting a hostile exchange. The thread later produced practical advice, setup postings and Dover setup discussion, plus jokes about 'racing SIMMs'.
- IndyCar Indianapolis track pack goes out of stock 1996-05-16 · 29 postsPlayers looking for the Indianapolis track pack, which could be converted for IndyCar Racing II, found that Papyrus had sold its remaining stock and was no longer selling it. Some suggested that copying it was now acceptable. Rick Genter replied that copyright still applies to out-of-print works and that Papyrus's licence with the speedway probably did not allow the track to be given away. One poster found copies for sale at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway gift shop.
- Wish list for IndyCar Racing 2.0 1995-02-08 · 25 postsPlayers compiled a wish list for a second version of Papyrus's IndyCar Racing, including current chassis and engines, crew-chief radio, stereo sound, curbs, local yellows, pit-lane speed limits and a better paint kit. By far the most repeated request was better AI. Side discussions covered whether engine choices made a real difference, how to look sideways for nearby cars, and the Shift-R race-restart shortcut.
Busiest threads
- F1GP versus IndyCar Racing: game or simulation? (31 posts about it)
- Track editor demand for IndyCar 2 sparks flame war (20 posts about it)
- Debate over GP2 cockpit view and visible front wheels (19 posts about it)
- IndyCar Racing speeds versus real Road America telemetry (18 posts about it)
- Indy or F1GP (10 posts about it)
- Argument over sharing car setups in Papyrus sims (10 posts about it)
- More ICR gripes (9 posts about it)
- F1GP & ICR? like trying to compare apples and oranges (9 posts about it)
- WC or ICR? (8 posts about it)
- Papyrus next project?? (8 posts about it)
- Papyrus previews IndyCar Racing 2.0 at E3 1995 (8 posts about it)
- Why IndyCar Racing II feels slipperier than the original (8 posts about it)
- Anger over reports of no Grand Prix 2 update (8 posts about it)
- Users demand more ICR2 patches; Papyrus explains IndyCar exit (8 posts about it)
- F1GP's strengths vs ICR (7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 50 | 15 | 3 | positive (+0.30) |
| 1994 | 901 | 209 | 82 | mixed (+0.20) |
| 1995 | 1,109 | 223 | 100 | mixed (+0.16) |
| 1996 | 862 | 138 | 55 | mixed (+0.12) |
| 1997 | 442 | 62 | 13 | mixed (+0.13) |
| 1998 | 245 | 54 | 11 | mixed (+0.19) |
| 1999 | 170 | 35 | 5 | mixed (+0.19) |
| 2000 | 186 | 47 | 6 | positive (+0.27) |
| 2001 | 77 | 19 | 3 | positive (+0.25) |
| 2002 | 59 | 24 | 0 | positive (+0.49) |
| 2003 | 23 | 7 | 0 | positive (+0.43) |
| 2004 | 31 | 8 | 0 | positive (+0.35) |
| 2005 | 25 | 7 | 0 | positive (+0.28) |
| 2006 | 5 | 2 | 0 | very positive (+0.60) |
| 2007 | 1 | 1 | 0 | very positive (+2.00) |
| 2008 | 4 | 1 | 0 | positive (+0.25) |
| 2011 | 1 | 0 | 0 | mixed (+0.00) |
Who talked about it most
Michael E. Carver · 155 Peter Burke · 88 Dave Henrie · 60 ymenard · 49 EldredP · 48 Greg Cisko · 46 Jeff Vincent · 43 Pasi P Ahopel · 41 Tony Joh · 36 Henrikki T H{kk{n · 33 Terje Wold Johans · 32 Steve Smith · 30 Bryon La · 30 Brian Wong - SMCC Product Marketing Engineeri · 27 Ralf Southa · 24 Kirk Lane · 23 RickGent · 23 Robert Berus · 22 Mark Pfeif · 20 TOBY BRANFO · 20
