Just heard the bad news from a dealer who uses Microprose's
distribution "arm" Pinnacle. The release date of Grand Prix 2
(in the U.K. at least) has slipped to 26 April 1996.
Steve.
Damn. I was just thinking of starting a "T minus xx days" calendar...
Doesn't this cause problems with distribution? I remember an earlier
thread here that mentioned that the FIA license for GP2 would expire in
the middle of March, at which point Bizarre Creations (who are working on
a Playstation F1 game) would have rights to it... (albeit different seasons).
still hoping...
-robin
--
Robin Chung Aspiring F-1 pilot
Microprocessor Design Group Aspiring F-1 Vehicle Dynamicist
FAX:(510) 642 4769
Rachel--"Honey, Oh No...that's okay" Ross--"No, that was just the juice box"
This is my own personal opinion here, so please don't flame me, but
I consider that ICR II sucks compared to the original Formula One
Grand Prix/World Circuit. Maybe it's because I've won so many races
and written an editor for it, but for me F1GP is currently the best
circuit racing game available.
A lot of Europeans will agree with me I'm sure. In Europe, Indycar
and NACAR racing (the sport, not the game) is not as popular as in
the U.S. We can associate with winning the British G.P. in front
of Damon Hill and Michael Schumacher, but find the "unheard of"
NASCAR drivers, and in general the circuits offered by ICR II and
NASCAR rather dull (except from the obvious acceptions of the pure
road circuits).
Then there's the simulation itself. I've never heard of a race car
that doesn't have some kind of clutch mechanism for getting car moving.
How are you supposed to be able to execute Need for Speed style
spin-turns? Then there's reverse. Why couldn't this just be another
gear in the gearbox? Small points I know, but I can't understand why
they are in F1GP, by now a 4 or 5 year old Simulation, but not in
ICR II.
Then there's curbs and their affect on the car. In F1GP if you run
over the curbs at a chichane, the car jumps or is unbalanced. If
I remember correctly, the solution in ICR II for the game engine not
being able to handle this area is just to remove raised curbs
altogether.
Not to forget weather conditions. Do Indycar racers never drive on
a wet circuit? F1GP does a brilliant job of simulating spray and
splippery wet conditions.
Add to this the many dozens of patches, editors and utilities
available, and F1GP is still looking good today. Maybe Papyrus
should have taken a look at the finer points of F1GP when writing ICR 2,
which is to the casual observer ICR 1 with a better graphics engine?
I'm sure that when GP II does finally arrive, it will be the most
astounding racing game ever seen. It will add the features that F1GP
racers have always longed for. Mid-race refueling (and the strategic
element combined with this), mid-race change in track (weather) conditions,
retirement due to mechanical failure, built in data logging, gravel traps,
plus of course the amazing new graphics engine.
In short, please don't write off Geoff Crammond before you've played
GP II. Let's not forget that he was turning out superb state of the
art racing simulations such as Revs probably before Papyrus even existed!
Steve.
