Rally Trophy

Bugbear · released 2001 · discussed in 1,168 posts, 2001-2007 · overall tone positive

Posts per month

Timeline

2001-10-16 Bugbear and JoWooD released the Rally Trophy demo. post thread
2001-11-09 Rally Trophy was released in the UK; its North American release slipped into 2002. post post
2002-02-11 Bugbear and JoWooD released a Rally Trophy patch with physics improvements, replay saving and bug fixes. thread post
2002-02-20 Rally Trophy finally shipped in the United States after repeated delays. thread post

Key threads

Tom Pabst's 'timing bug' post sparks hotlapper flame war 2001-11-01 · 158 posts
Tom Pabst reported a real-time versus physics-clock bug in the Rally Trophy demo and claimed a similar bug was being exploited by GPL's 'alien' hotlappers, whom he also called poor, crash-prone racers. Top GPL drivers and their friends reacted furiously, with personal abuse, challenges and threats to boycott BRD hardware, which Pabst was associated with; he later said the GPL claim was a deliberate troll. The long thread then turned into a debate over talent versus practice and whether obsessive hotlapping is healthy.
Rally Trophy previews and developer Q&A 2001-09-05 · 70 posts
David Cook asked whether the upcoming historic rally sim Rally Trophy might be the next GPL after reading a hands-on preview. Developer Ilari Lehtinen answered questions, saying preview builds were unfinished rather than locked to novice physics, the driver's head moves with the car, each tyre is modelled separately, Act Labs shifter support was planned, and the Lancia Stratos was included. Previewers including John Bodin and Goy Larsen were enthusiastic, though some found early physics simplified.
Rally Trophy demo released 2001-10-16 · 67 posts
Andre Warringa announced the release of the Rally Trophy demo. Early reactions were enthusiastic about graphics and the comic co-driver, with some confusion over whether only arcade mode was available until Bugbear's Ilari Lehtinen explained that arcade mode means closed-course racing against AI with the same physics. Some found sim mode too easy and missed force feedback and Act Labs shifter support, and much of the thread was banter.
Bugbear announces FlatOut 2002-11-05 · 24 posts
Bugbear car lead artist Ilari Lehtinen announced FlatOut, which would use a refined version of Rally Trophy's physics engine. He confirmed online multiplayer and said the game was about racing rather than demolition despite its crash-heavy promotion. Posters were interested but sceptical of its console-oriented wording, and some asked for a Group N Rally Trophy instead.
Rumoured poor physics in the Rally Trophy preview 2001-07-26 · 65 posts
Ed Solheim relayed second-hand claims that the Rally Trophy alpha had disappointing physics like Spirit of Speed 1937. Bugbear's Ilari Lehtinen challenged the source, and previewers including Simracing.dk and Jacob Butner said they liked the handling, so Solheim apologised. David G Fisher then attacked GPL fans as biased, sparking a heated exchange.
Rally Trophy demo physics: realistic or too forgiving? 2001-10-30 · 36 posts
A poster asked why the Rally Trophy demo's Mini never rolled over, prompting a long debate about the demo's physics. Many praised its feel as the best rally handling yet, while others thought the centre of gravity was too low and compared it with Rally Championship 2000, Rally Masters and Colin McRae Rally 2. The thread widened into whether the group overpraises 'old car' sims like GPL, with David G Fisher arguing the community is biased toward historic racing and others rejecting that.
Teen's AWD Lancia Stratos video in Rally Trophy 2002-12-30 · 34 posts
Alex Kihurani, not yet 16, posted a video of a Rally Trophy Stratos converted to all-wheel drive, which impressed readers. Tony Rickard noted that fast sim laps show far less steering correction than real rally footage, which Alex attributed to known stages and wheel ratios. The thread turned into nostalgia for rear-drive rallying and Ari Vatanen.
Bugbear posts new Rally Trophy screenshots 2001-07-20 · 24 posts
Bugbear 3D artist Ilari Lehtinen pointed to new in-game screenshots of the historic rally sim Rally Trophy. When a poster complained of unrealistically wide, smooth roads, Bugbear staff explained that camera field of view exaggerates width, that stage widths vary, and that off-road surfaces affect handling. They also confirmed cockpit views, varied weather and upcoming hands-on previews.
Rally Trophy ranking site dispute with Relay Games 2002-02-06 · 22 posts
Mikkel Gram-Hansen reported that the RTRank Rally Trophy ranking project was shutting down. A bitter exchange followed between Schumi of Relay Games, Jens Kruuse and Uwe Schuerkamp, and RTRank creator David L. Cook briefly redirected the rtrank.com domain to Relay's ranking and posted mailing list messages. He later apologised and restored the domain, and Uwe said RTRank would continue.
Official Rally Trophy car list published 2001-08-16 · 21 posts
Bugbear's Ilari Lehtinen posted the full Rally Trophy car list released by JoWood, including the Lancia Fulvia and Stratos, Alpine A110, Volvo Amazon, Saab 96 and Mini Cooper. Readers enthused about the classic cars and shared memories and wishes for others such as the Ford Falcon.
Bugbear developers discuss new Rally Trophy screenshots 2001-06-18 · 20 posts
New screenshots of the historic rally sim Rally Trophy prompted comments on period liveries. Developer Ilari Lehtinen said the team focused on car physics and planned to release tools for importing user-made cars and stages but no track editor, and artist Sami Räihä acknowledged inaccuracies in the Mini model. Posters urged openness to add-ons and joked about the 'golden era' of rallying.
Rally Trophy controller problems and JoWooD forum post deletion 2002-03-24 · 38 posts
Gerry Aitken complained that Rally Trophy's controllers did not work properly even after the patch, and that JoWooD deleted his critical forum post explaining the input.ini file, so he returned the game for a refund. Others shared the JoystImm utility method for configuring input.ini and debated whether the patch had altered the physics. The thread then argued about UK versus US software return policies and the ethics of returning games to Electronics Boutique.
Rally Trophy demo stage times 2001-10-17 · 33 posts
David G Fisher opened a comparison of Rally Trophy demo stage times with a 2:46. Others posted times in the 2:28-2:47 range, a forum time of 2:26 was mentioned, and posters debated whether cutting corners through trees should count.
Mixed reactions to Rally Trophy and premium sim pricing 2002-03-26 · 33 posts
KAP found Rally Trophy great fun, but others were disappointed by its floaty handling and lack of immersion, and steering and input.ini tweaks were suggested. The thread turned to whether players would pay $150 to $500 for a GPL2-quality niche sim, and to whether developers profit from leaving players unsatisfied. It ended with some sniping at Gerry Aitken.
Rally Trophy's rear-wheel-drive cars hard to control 2002-03-14 · 32 posts
Todd Walker found Rally Trophy's rear-wheel-drive cars almost impossible to keep from spinning. Advice included installing the v1.01 patch, starting with the Mini or Fulvia, adjusting steering linearity and input.ini settings, and using left-foot braking to counter understeer off the throttle. Several felt the physics were exaggerated and noted stuttering and split-axis pedal problems.
Rally Trophy hard to find in Canadian stores 2001-11-28 · 30 posts
ymenard could not find Rally Trophy anywhere in Montreal, and others reported shifting release dates from Electronics Boutique ranging from December to February. Some ordered from UK retailers instead. The thread then turned into Quebec-versus-English Canada ribbing over language laws and whether EB had stores in Quebec, which it did.
Best modern rally sim for the PC 2001-11-29 · 27 posts
Asked for the best rally sim, posters split between Rally Masters for physics, Rally Championship 2000 for authentic stages despite weak physics, Rally Trophy for good physics on historic cars, and Colin McRae Rally 2 for fun. Rally Championship Xtreme was criticised for a large steering dead zone, with DXTweak suggested as a workaround that did not work on XP. Posters also explained why most rally games use fictional stages.
Best rally game on PC or console 2003-02-08 · 25 posts
Asked for the best and most realistic rally game, most posters named Rally Trophy for PC. Others recommended Mobil 1 Rally Championship for its long stages, Colin McRae Rally 2, Rally Championship 2000 for modern cars, WRC II Extreme on PS2 and Rallisport Challenge for fun rather than realism.
Rally Trophy finally ships in the US 2002-02-20 · 25 posts
Posters confirmed Rally Trophy had reached US stores at around $29.99, while Canadian and Japanese buyers were still waiting. Some called it the GPL of rally sims and discussed its short stages and a possible stage editor. The KALJAKOPPA cheat code for unlocking all rallies was shared.
Best sim for stock cars, rally and open-wheel 2003-06-22 · 24 posts
A poster asked for the best simulation in stock car, rally and formula categories. NASCAR Racing 2003 Season and Rally Trophy were near-unanimous picks, while answers for formula cars varied between Grand Prix Legends, F1 2002, F1 Challenge 99-02, Grand Prix 4 and netKar. A side argument considered whether 'best' means most realistic or most enjoyable, with Colin McRae Rally dismissed as arcade.
Getting split-axis pedals working in Rally Trophy 2002-02-24 · 24 posts
Bert could not get split-axis pedals working in Rally Trophy with a Wingman Formula Force and TSW pedals. After trying controller ID changes and reinstalls, Gerry Aitken's fix of editing the brake axis range and OverrideRanges in input.ini worked. A side spat broke out over Bert's tone, and posters criticised the game's controller setup.
What do rally co-driver pace-note numbers mean? 2001-10-19 · 23 posts
Tom Pabst asked whether the numbers in Rally Trophy's co-driver calls refer to gears. Replies explained that the numbers describe corner severity, along with calls like tightens, opens and don't cut, though there was disagreement over whether higher numbers mean sharper or faster corners. Posters noted that Colin McRae's games use gear numbers because McRae and Nicky Grist use that system.
Rally Trophy patch praise and the mid versus rear engine debate 2002-02-15 · 23 posts
A poster praised the Rally Trophy patch and wondered how the rear-engined Fiat Abarth ever won. Jan Verschueren's remark that F1 cars are mid-engined, not rear-engined, sparked a light-hearted debate on terminology and handling. Others pointed to the official patch download.
Rally Trophy Nurburgring track and physics debate 2003-07-23 · 22 posts
Interest in Rally Trophy revived after Roger Hick released a Nurburgring conversion. Some found it beautiful but felt it exposed the game's weak physics, while others recommended the 1.1 physics patch and force feedback fix. A defender accused Papyrus fans of judging everything against GPL, and players reported a car-reset bug that dropped cars into a void.
First impressions of the Rally Trophy patch 2002-02-11 · 22 posts
Tesstuff reported that the new Rally Trophy patch fixed the tarmac handling bug and made the driving feel superb. Others welcomed fixes to the co-driver calls, noted the game was due in Canadian shops soon, and debated making backup copies of game CDs. Uwe Schuerkamp added that the RTRank ranking site would continue thanks to a utility from Oyvind Kaurstad.
Rally Trophy arrives in Canada with mixed impressions 2002-03-06 · 21 posts
Rally Trophy reached Canadian Electronics Boutique stores, and early buyers shared impressions. Several found it pretty but felt the handling was vague or prone to canned spins, and they reported pauses and lockups even after patching. Others got force-feedback wheels such as the Thrustmaster FF working after some effort, and a few returned the game.
Rally Trophy demo frame-rate benchmarks and corner cutting 2001-10-19 · 21 posts
Tom Pabst posted detailed Rally Trophy demo benchmarks across graphics settings, and others shared frame rates on older systems, noting the game is CPU-heavy and that smoke and ghost cars hurt performance. A debate followed over whether driving through the woods to cut corners is legitimate rallying or exploiting the engine, with several saying the older narrow-stage sims like Rally Championship 2000 punished mistakes more realistically.
Best realistic rally sim: Rally Trophy recommended 2002-01-06 · 20 posts
Sven asked which rally game was the most realistic. Posters unanimously recommended Rally Trophy, shared tips for fixing its stuttering and silencing the co-driver, and mentioned a promised official patch. Its US release was reported for January 15, and Uwe pointed to the RTrank stage-time site.
Will new racing games ship only on DVD-ROM? 2001-12-15 · 20 posts
Jay J worried that new titles such as Rally Trophy and Codemasters' TOCA Race Driver would be DVD-only. Others clarified that Rally Trophy shipped on CD in a DVD-style box, and debated whether DVD would bring more content, act as copy protection, or simply be wasteful. Most felt DVD drives were cheap enough that the shift was inevitable.

Busiest threads

Rally Trophy demo physics: realistic or too forgiving? (19 posts about it)
Rumoured poor physics in the Rally Trophy preview (18 posts about it)
Rally Trophy previews and developer Q&A (17 posts about it)
Rally Trophy's rear-wheel-drive cars hard to control (16 posts about it)
Getting split-axis pedals working in Rally Trophy (16 posts about it)
Rally Trophy Nurburgring track and physics debate (15 posts about it)
Best rally game on PC or console (15 posts about it)
Rally Trophy arrives in Canada with mixed impressions (12 posts about it)
Rally Trophy demo released (11 posts about it)
Rally Trophy demo frame-rate benchmarks and corner cutting (10 posts about it)
rally trophy - i cant get dual axis working (10 posts about it)
Tom Pabst's 'timing bug' post sparks hotlapper flame war (9 posts about it)
Readers list their top ten racing games (8 posts about it)
Mixed reactions to Rally Trophy and premium sim pricing (8 posts about it)
Rally Trophy review at SimBin (8 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
2001	433	205	47	positive (+0.49)
2002	494	174	64	positive (+0.31)
2003	168	80	25	positive (+0.50)
2004	62	19	17	mixed (+0.08)
2005	8	3	1	mixed (+0.13)
2006	2	0	1	negative (-0.50)
2007	1	0	0	mixed (+0.00)